Formation of a novel hexanuclear ZrIV cage compound with bridging chelating ligand: [(CpZr)6(μ-O2C-C6H2Cl2-2-O)9(OH2)3]·H2O

The reaction of Cp2ZrCl2 with 3,5-dicholorosalicylic acid in a CH2Cl2–Et2O system containing HCl (1.0 mol L−1), gives a cage half-sandwich cyclopentadienyl–zirconocene compound, [(CpZr)6(μ-O2C-C6H2Cl2-2-O)9(OH2)3]·H2O (1). The crystal structure of 1 shows a twisted tripyramidal prism cage structure with one water molecule in the cage’s cavity. In the cage, the dianionic, substituted salicylate ligands adopt a bridging chelate μ2-(O, O′, O″) coordination mode.