Computational Studies of Structures and Properties of Metallaboranes. 2. Transition-Metal Dicarbollide Complexes

A density functional study at the BP86 level is presented for metal bis(dicarbollides), [3-M-(1,2-C2B9H11)2]n (M/n = Fe,Ru/2−, Co,Rh/1−, Ni,Pd/0), as well as selected mixed- and half-sandwich complexes [3-M(L)-(1,2-C2B9H11)] {M(L) = Fe(C6H3Me3), Ru(C6H6), Ru(CO)3, Rh(C5Me5)}. Available experimental 11B NMR chemical shifts of these complexes with closo structure of the metallacarborane moiety are reproduced reasonably well at the GIAO-B3LYP/II‘ level, with mean absolute deviations of ca. 3 ppm (over a chemical-shift range of ca. 50 ppm). The potential usefulness of this computational protocol for assignments and structural refinements of transition-metal-containing heteroboranes is illustrated in an application to 14-vertex closo clusters [1,14-{(arene)Ru}2(x,y-C2B10H12), where the C-substitution pattern in the carborane moiety is identified.