A stable dianionic 14-electron Pd(0) complex supported by monoanionic carboranyl phosphines is reported. This complex rapidly undergoes the oxidative addition of Cl-C 6 H 5 at room temperature and is a competent catalyst for Kumada cross-coupling. The isosteric PdL 2 complex, supported by neutral o-carboranyl phosphines, does not display the same reactivity. The high reactivity of the dianionic Pd(0) complex toward chloroarenes can be explained by electrostatic effects that promote both formation of monophosphine-ligated LPd 0 and stabilization of the transition state during oxidative addition. This mode of stabilization is distinct from the wellknown π-arene interactions of biaryl phosphines, in that it occurs both on and off cycle. Communication pubs.acs.org/Organometallics

Discovered by Hawthorne in 1965, dicarbollide ions are an intriguing class of nido-carboranes that mimic the behavior of the cyclopentadienyl anion. Herein, we show that it is possible to directly link the dicarbollide ion to an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) to form an isolable N-dicarbollide-substituted NHC dianion. This molecule can be accessed by the sequential double deprotonation of a mono-nido-carboranyl imidazolium zwitterion. As revealed by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study, the first deprotonation leads to a monoanionic dicarbollide ion that adopts a bis(dicarbollide) structure in the solid state. Subsequent deprotonation of this monoanion leads to the first N-dicarbollide NHC, which was fully characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy as well as single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

A phosphine containing a 10-vertex carborane anion substituent and its subsequent ligation to a Rh(I) carbonyl complex is reported. The complex is characterized by NMR spectroscopy and a single crystal X-ray diffraction study. In addition, the inductive effects of both 10 and 12 vertex C-functionalized closo-carborane anions are elucidated via I.R. analysis of the CO stretching frequencies of two Rh carbonyl complexes. Unlike C-functionalized neutral o-carborane the 10 and 12-vertex carborane anions are both strong electron donor substituents.