Dicarbollide

Cage structure of the dicarbollide

Dicarbollide (B ₉ C ₂ H ₁₁ ² ) is a nido- carborane - anion selected from B ₁₀ C ₂ H ₁₂ formally by removal of a BH ²⁺ fragment is obtained. Dicarbollide is a very good ligand for transition metals because it is isolobal to the cyclopentadienyl anion. Like this, it forms “sandwich” structures with metals, the metal being coordinated above and below by an anion each.

Manufacturing

The sodium salt of dicarbollide can be obtained by a two-stage reaction of the carborane B ₁₀ C ₂ H ₁₂ with sodium ethanolate and subsequent reduction with sodium hydride :

${\displaystyle \mathrm {B_{10}C_{2}H_{12}\ +\ 2\ EtOH\ +\ NaOEt\longrightarrow \ Na[B_{9}C_{2}H_{12}]\ +\ B(OEt)_{3}\ +\ H_{2}} }$

${\displaystyle \mathrm {Na[B_{9}C_{2}H_{12}]\ +\ NaH\longrightarrow \ Na_{2}[B_{9}C_{2}H_{11}]\ +\ H_{2}} }$

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• E. Riedel: Inorganic Chemistry . 6th edition, de Gruyter, 2004.