Cooperative metal-boron interactions in the reaction of nido-1,2-(Cp*RuH)2B3H7, Cp* = eta5-C5Me5, with HC(triple bond)CPh

Products of the reaction of nido-1,2-(CpRuH)(2)B(3)H(7), 1, and phenylacetylene demonstrate the ways in which cluster metal and main group fragments can combine with an alkyne. Observed at 22 degrees C are (a) reduction to mu-alkylidene Ru-B bridges (isomers nido-1,2-(CpRu)(2)(1,5-mu-C{Ph}Me)B(3)H(7), 2, and nido-1,2-(CpRu)(2)(1,5-mu-C{CH(2)Ph}H)B(3)H(7), 3), (b) reduction to exo-cluster alkyl substituents on boron (nido-1,2-(CpRuH)(2)-3-CH(2)CH(2)Ph-B(3)H(6), 4), (c) cluster insertion with extrusion of a BH(2) fragment into an exo-cluster bridge (nido-1,2-(CpRu)(2)(mu-H)(mu-BH(2))-4-or-5-Ph-4,5-C(2)B(2)H(5), 5), (d) combined insertion with BH(2) extrusion and reduction (nido-1,2-(CpRu)(2)(mu-H)(mu-BH(2))-3-CH(2)CH(2)Ph-5-Ph-4,5-C(2)B(2)H(4), 6), (e) insertion and loss of borane with and without reduction (nido-1,2-(CpRu)(2)-5-Ph-4,5-C(2)B(2)H(7), 7, and isomers nido-1,2-(CpRu)(2)-3-CH(2)CH(2)Ph-4-(and-5-)Ph-C(2)B(2)H(6), 8 and 9), and (f) insertion and borane loss plus reduction (nido-1,2-(CpRu)(2)-3-(trans-CH=CHPh)-5-Ph-4,5-C(2)B(2)H(6), 10). Along with 7, 8, and 10, the reaction at 90 degrees C generates products of insertion and nido- to closo-cluster closure (closo-4-Ph-1,2-(CpRuH)(2)-4,6-C(2)B(2)H(3), 11, closo-1,2-(CpRuH)(2)-3-CH(2)CH(2)Ph-5-Ph-7-CH(2)CH(2)Ph-4,5-C(2)B(3)H(2), 12, closo-1,2-(CpRuH)(2)-5-Ph-4,5-C(2)B(3)H(4), 13, and isomers closo-1,2-(CpRuH)(2)-3-and-7-CH(2)CH(2)Ph-5-Ph-4,5-C(2)B(3)H(3), 14 and 15). The clusters with an exo-cluster bridging BH(2) groups are shown to be intermediates by demonstrating that the major products 5 and 6 rearrange to 13 and convert to 14, respectively. 14 then isomerizes to 15, thus connecting low- and high-temperature products. Finally, all available information shows that the high reactivity of 1 with alkynes can be associated with the "extra" two Ru-H hydrides on the framework of 1 which are required to meet the nido-cluster electron count.