The first metallacarborane triple-decker complexes with a bridging borole ligand

The (borole)iodide complex [(η5-C4H4BPh)RhI]4 reacts with the carborane anion [Carb′]− (Carb′ = 9-SMe2-7,8-C2B9H10) giving (Carb′)Rh(η5-C4H4BPh) (2). Reactions of 2 with dicationic fragments [LM]2+ afford the μ-borole triple-decker complexes [(Carb′)Rh(μ-η5:η5-C4H4BPh)ML]2+ [LM = Cp∗Ir (4), (Carb′)Rh (7)] or the arene-type complexes [(Carb′)Rh(μ-η5:η6-C4H4BPh)ML]2+ [LM = Cp∗Rh (3), (Carb′)Ir (8)]. The structure of 4(BF4)2 was determined by X-ray diffraction.