Synthesis of 12-vertex mixed ligand closo-cobaltacarborane complexes and molecular structure of [3,3-(Ph2P(CH2)2PPh2)-3-Cl-closo-3,1,2-CoC2B9H11]

A reaction of complexes CoCl₂(dppe) (dppe is the 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane) or CoCl₂(dppp) (dppp is the 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane) with [K][7,8-nido-C₂B₉H₁₂] upon reflux in benzene led to the mixed ligand closo-cobaltacarboranes [3,3-(Ph₂P(CH₂) _n PPh₂)-3-Cl-closo-3,1,2-Co^IIIC₂B₉H₁₁] (n = 2 and 3, respectively) in moderate yields (34 and 16%). The structure of the 18-electron complexes in solution and the solid state was studied by NMR and IR spectroscopy, the structure in the case of the closo-complex with dppe-ligand was confirmed by X-ray crystallography.