Pure Appl. Chem., 2003, Vol. 75, No. 9, pp. 1335-1341
doi:10.1351/pac200375091335
Controlled synthesis of carbons-adjacent and-apart nido -and arachno-carborane anions and their metal complexes*
Zuowei Xie
Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China
Abstract:
The controlled synthesis of carborane anions is a difficult challenge and is of great interest to synthetic chemists. By varying the bridge length of cage carbons-linked o-carboranes, the two cage carbon atoms are locked in place during the reactions, leading to the controlled synthesis of ortho-, meta- and para-isomer of nido-carborane dianions. The isomers of arachno-carborane tetraanions can also be prepared in the controlled manner via chang- ing the electronic configuration of the transition-metal ions or the bridge length. This article provides an overview of our recent work on this subject.
*Lecture presented at the XIth International Meeting on Boron Chemistry (IMEBORON XI), Moscow, Russia, 28 July - 2 August 2002. Other presentations are published in this issue, pp. 1157-1355.