Chemistry of mangana- and rhenatricarbadecaboranyl tricarbonyl complexes: evidence for an associative mechanism of ligand substitution involving an eta6-eta4 cage-slippage process analagous to eta5-eta3-cyclopentadienyl ring-slippage.

The reaction of the tricarbadecaboranyl anion, 6-Ph-nido-5,6,9-C(3)B(7)H(9)(-), with M(CO)(5)Br [M = Mn, Re] or [(eta(6)-C(10)H(8))Mn(CO)(3)(+)]BF(4)(-) yielded the half-sandwich metallatricarbadecaboranyl analogues of (eta(5)-C(5)H(5))M(CO)(3) [M = Mn, Re]. For both 1,1,1-(CO)(3)-2-Ph-closo-1,2,3,4-MC(3)B(7)H(9) [M = Mn (2) and Re (3)], the metal is eta(6)-coordinated to the puckered six-membered open face of the tricarbadecaboranyl cage. Reactions of 2 and 3 with isocyanide at room temperature produced complexes 8-(CNBu(t))-8,8,8-(CO)(3)-9-Ph-nido-8,7,9,10-MC(3)B(7)H(9) [M = Mn (4), Re (5)], having the cage eta(4)-coordinated to the metal. Photolysis of 4 and 5 then resulted in the loss of CO and the formation of 1-(CNBu(t))-1,1-(CO)(2)-2-Ph-closo-1,2,3,4-MC(3)B(7)H(9) [M = Mn, Re (6)], where the cage is again eta(6)-coordinated to the metal. Reaction of 2 and 3 with 1 equiv of phosphine at room temperature produced the eta(6)-coordinated monosubstituted complexes 1,1-(CO)(2)-1-P(CH(3))(3)-2-Ph-closo-1,2,3,4-MC(3)B(7)H(9) [M = Mn (7), Re (9)] and 1,1-(CO)(2)-1-P(C(6)H(5))(3)-2-Ph-closo-1,2,3,4-MC(3)B(7)H(9) [M = Mn (8), Re (10)]. NMR studies of these reactions at -40 degrees C showed that substitution occurs by an associative mechanism involving the initial formation of intermediates having structures similar to those of the eta(4)-complexes 4 and 5. The observed eta(6)-eta(4) cage-slippage is analogous to the eta(5)-eta(3) ring-slippage that has been proposed to take place in related substitution reactions of cyclopentadienyl-metal complexes. Reaction of 9 with an additional equivalent of P(CH(3))(3) gave 8,8-(CO)(2)-8,8-(P(CH(3))(3))(2)-9-Ph-nido-8,7,9,10-ReC(3)B(7)H(9) (11), where the cage is eta(4)-coordinated to the metal. Photolysis of 11 resulted in the loss of CO and the formation of the disubstituted eta(6)-complex 1-CO-1,1-(P(CH(3))(3))(2)-2-Ph-closo-1,2,3,4-ReC(3)B(7)H(9) (12).

Amineborane-based chemical hydrogen storage: enhanced ammonia borane dehydrogenation in ionic liquids.

Ionic liquids are shown to provide advantageous media for amineborane-based chemical hydrogen storage systems. Both the extent and rate of hydrogen release from ammonia borane dehydrogenation are significantly increased at 85, 90, and 95 degrees C when the reactions are carried out in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride compared to analogous solid-state reactions. NMR studies in conjunction with DFT/GIAO chemical shift calculations indicate that both polyaminoborane and the diammoniate of diborane, [(NH3)2BH2+]BH4-, are initial products in the reactions.