Abstract
The metal-carbon σ-bond cluster complexes 1-Mn(CO)5-2-R-1,2-C2B10H10 (R=CH3 Ia, C6H5 Ib) have been prepared in good yields from readily available carboranyl lithium complexes, 1-Li+-2-R-1,2-C2B10H10- (R=CH3, C6H5), by direct reaction with (CO)5MnBr. These manganese metal complexes are rapidly converted to the corresponding manganese metal carbene complexes, 1-[(CO)4Mn=C(OCH3)(CH3)]-2-R-1,2-C2B10H10 (R=CH3 IIIa, C6H5 IIIb), via alkylation with methyllithium followed by O-methylation with CF3SO3CH3. The crystal structure of IIIb was determined by X-ray diffraction. Thus, complex IIIb crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P212121 with cell parameters a=15.5537(5), b=19.0697(5), c=7.4286(3) Å, V=2203.4(1) Å3, and Z=4. Of the reflections measured a total of 3805 unique reflections with F2>3σ(F2) was used during subsequent structure refinement. Refinement converged to R1=0.053 and R2=0.091. Structural studies showed that the manganese atom had a slightly distorted pseudo-octahedral configuration about the metal center with the carbene and ortho-carborane occupying the equatorial plane cis-orientation to each other.