Reduction of ZrCl4 with HSnBu3 followed by
addition of [R4A]Cl resulted in the formation of
[R4A]3[Zr6Cl18H5]
(2a, R = Ph, A = P; 2b, R =
n-Pr, A = N; 2c, R = Et, A = N). Six
zirconium atoms are arranged as an
octahedron with one Cl atom terminally coordinated to each Zr atom and
the other 12 Cl atoms edge-bridging the
octahedron. When [Ph4P]I was used, the compound
[Ph4P]3[Zr6Cl18
-
x
I
x
H5]
(x = 0.81) (3) was isolated.
In
compound 3, I atoms occupy only the terminal positions.
The number of cluster hydrogen atoms in compounds
2a−c and 3 was established by
1H NMR. The X-ray results are consistent with the five
cluster hydrogen atoms
being distributed at or slightly outside the centers of all eight
triangular faces of the octahedron. Compounds
2a−c and 3 were characterized by
X-ray single-crystal diffraction. Compound
2a·3CH2Cl2 crystallized
in the
triclinic space group P1̄ with cell dimensions (20
°C) of a = 15.993(3) Å, b =
22.237(3) Å, c = 14.670(4) Å,
α = 95.31(1)°, β = 112.07(2)°, γ =
82.06(2)°, V = 4784(2) Å3, and
Z = 2. Compound 2a crystallized in
the
tetragonal space group I41/a with
cell dimensions (20 °C) of a = 33.196(2) Å,
b = 33.196(2) Å, c =
15.236(2)
Å, V = 16790(3) Å3, and Z
= 8. Compound
2a·4C6H5CH3
crystallized in the triclinic space group P1̄ with
cell
dimensions (−60 °C) of a = 14.501(5) Å,
b = 26.630(9) Å, c = 14.049(5) Å,
α = 90.39(3)°, β = 94.19(3)°, γ
= 82.59(1)°, V = 5365(3) Å3,
and Z = 2. Compound 2b crystallized in the
cubic space group Im3̄m with
cell
dimensions (−60 °C) of a = 15.039(3) Å,
b = 15.039(3) Å, c = 15.039(3) Å,
V = 3438(1) Å3, and Z =
2.
Compound 2c·2.43MeCN crystallized in the orthorhombic
space group Pnma with cell dimensions (−100 °C)
of
a = 21.156(1) Å, b = 24.584(3) Å,
c = 11.713(2) Å, V = 6092(1)
Å3, and Z = 4. Compound
3·3CH2Cl2·C6H5CH3 crystallized in the monoclinic space group
P21/c with cell dimensions (20 °C)
of a = 19.786(5) Å, b =
19.071(4) Å, c = 27.397(5) Å, β =
90.22(3)°, V = 10337(4) Å3, and
Z = 4.