Tethered N-heterocyclic carbene–carboranes: unique ligands that exhibit unprecedented and versatile coordination modes at rhodium

Abstract

Four brand new hybrid ligands combining an N-heterocyclic carbene tethered with two isomeric nido-dicarbaundecaborane dianions, a neutral closo-dicarbadodecaborane or a closo-dicarbadodecaborane anion are described. Versatile coordination of the ligands to Rh^I is demonstrated, in which both NHC and carborane moieties covalently coordinate a metal centre.