Aqueous self-assembly and cation selectivity of cobaltabisdicarbollide dianionic dumbbells.

The anion [3,3'-Co(C2B9H11)2](-) ([COSAN](-)) produces aggregates in water. These aggregates are interpreted to be the result of C-H⋅⋅⋅H-B interactions. It is possible to generate aggregates even after the incorporation of additional functional groups into the [COSAN](-) units. The approach is to join two [COSAN](-) anions by a linker that can adapt itself to act as a crown ether. The linker has been chosen to have six oxygen atoms, which is the ideal number for K(+) selectivity in crown ethers. The linker binds the alkaline metal ions with different affinities; thus showing a distinct degree of selectivity. The highest affinity is shown towards K(+) from a mixture containing Li(+), Na(+), K(+), Rb(+) and Cs(+); this can be indicative of pseudo-crown ether performance of the dumbbell. One interesting possibility is that the [COSAN](-) anions at the two ends of the linker can act as a hook-and-loop fastener to close the ring. This facet is intriguing and deserves further consideration for possible applications. The distinct affinity towards alkaline metal ions is corroborated by solubility studies and isothermal calorimetry thermograms. Furthermore, cryoTEM micrographs, along with light scattering results, reveal the existence of small self-assemblies and compact nanostructures ranging from spheres to single-/multi-layer vesicles in aqueous solutions. The studies reported herein show that these dumbbells can have different appearances, either as molecules or aggregates, in water or lipophilic phases; this offers a distinct model as drug carriers.

Surfactant behaviour of metallacarboranes. A study based on the electrolysis of water.

[3,3'-Co(1,2-C2B9H11)2](-), [1](-), and its chloroderivatives have been described as displaying surfactant/aggregation properties. We have studied their behaviour as electrolytes in the water electrolysis process. The electrolysis experiments support the surfactant behaviour of these compounds. These conclusions have been drawn on the grounds of the intensity/voltage (I/V) curves of water splitting into H2 and O2 of aqueous solutions in which the electrolytes have been tested at the same concentration. The I/V curves have permitted us to map and group the different electrolytes studied in this work. Three differentiated zones have been observed: one for true electrolytes, NO3(-) and ClO4(-); a second one for intermediate electrolytes, BF4(-) and p-toluenesulfonate (PTS); and a third having the surfactant dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBS), [1](-) and its chloroderivatives. The incorporation into the study of the chloroderivatives of [1](-) has allowed us to correlate molecular structure features with aqueous performance. The studied chloroderivatives perform better as electrolytes in accordance with the descending order of available B-H groups. This comes from the higher capacity to generate B-H···H-C(c) dihydrogen bonds in the non- or less-halogenated molecules, considered one of the main reasons for the generation of the aggregates. In order to generate B-H···H-C(c) dihydrogen bonds the H-C(c) from the carborane cluster is needed. [B12H12](2-) was chosen to prove the hypothesis as it has B-H units but lacks H-C(c) units. Consequently, it should not produce self-assembling motifs, as is the case. [B12H12](2-) has an aqueous behaviour similar to SO4(2-).

Relaxed but highly compact diansa metallacyclophanes.

A series of monoansa [µ-1,1'-PR-3,3'-Co(1,2-C(2)B(9)H(10))(2)](-) and diansa [8,8'-µ-(1'',2''-benzene)-µ-1,1'-PR-3,3'-Co(1,2-C(2)B(9)H(9))(2)](-) (R = Ph, (t)Bu) cobaltabisdicarbollidephanes have been synthesized, characterized and studied by NMR, MALDI-TOF-MS, UV-visible spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and DFT calculations. Single crystal X-ray diffraction revealed a highly relaxed structure characterized by the title angle α of 3.8° ([7](-)), this being the smallest angle α for a metallacyclophane. In such compounds, the metal-to-phosphorus distance is less than the sum of their van der Waals radii. The availability of a phosphorus lone pair causes an electron delocalization through the metal, as shown by the abnormal (31)P NMR chemical shift. Remarkably, the combination of a phosphine donor and a phenyl acceptor moieties causes a synergistic effect that is observed through the different techniques used in this study. The importance of having an available lone pair is demonstrated by the oxidation of phosphorus with hydrogen peroxide, sulfur, and elemental black selenium to produce the corresponding P(V) compounds. When the electron lone pair is used to form the bond with the corresponding chalcogen atom, the communication between the donor and acceptor moieties on the diansa metallacyclophane is shut down.

Additive tuning of redox potential in metallacarboranes by sequential halogen substitution.

The first artificially made set of electron acceptors is presented that are derived from a unique platform Cs[3,3'-Co(C(2)B(9)H(11))(2)], for which the redox potential of each differs from its predecessor by a fixed amount. The sequence of electron acceptors is made by substituting one, two, or more hydrogen atoms by chlorine atoms, yielding Cs[3,3'-Co(C(2)B(9)H(11-y)Cl(y))(C(2)B(9)H(11-z)Cl(z))]. The higher the number of chlorine substituents, the more prone the platform is to be reduced. The effect is completely additive, so if a single substitution implies a reduction of 0.1 V of the redox potential of the parent complex, then ten substitutions imply a reduction of 1 V.