The first dimeric half-sandwich gadolinacarborane of the “carbons apart” C2B4-carborane ligand system

The reaction between the THF solvated “carbons apart” dinatracarborane, closo-exo-4,5-Na(THF)2–1-Na(THF)2–2,4-(SiMe3)2C2B4H4 (1), and anhydrous GdCl3 in a 1:1 molar ratio in dry benzene at 0°C, followed by extraction and crystallization of the product from an anhydrous n-hexane/TMEDA/THF solution mixture resulted in the isolation of off-white crystals of the dimeric half-sandwich dichlorogadolinacarborane, {1,1-Cl2[μ,μ′-Na(TMEDA)]–1-(THF)-2,4-(SiMe3)2–closo-η5-1-Gd-2,4-C2B4H4}2 (2) in 88% yield.