Synthesis of ruthenium carborane complexes by superacidic methyl abstraction

CHED 281

Anna S. Larsen, alarsen@ithaca.edu, Department of Chemistry, Ithaca College, 953 Danby Rd, CNS 361, Ithaca, NY 14850 and Joshua Masland, jmaslan1@ithaca.edu, Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Box 351700, Seattle, WA 98195-1700.
The purpose of this project is to synthesize new ruthenium carborane complexes, with the long-term goal of improving ruthenium-based polymerization catalysts. These compounds make use of the CB11H12- carborane anion and its derivatives, which are known for their outstanding weakly-coordinating properties, low nucleophilicity and spectacular chemical inertness. However application of carboranes has been surprisingly limited in transition metal chemistry. Recently we found that the carborane anion can be introduced through methyl abstraction of Cp*Ru(NO)Me2 by a carborane superacid, [HOEt2][CB11H6Br6]. The product is highly reactive and prone to further transformations. The synthetic details and properties of the new cationic species will be discussed.

 

Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Inorganic Chemistry
2:30 PM-4:30 PM, Monday, 11 September 2006 Moscone Center -- Hall D, Poster

Division of Chemical Education

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006