Cage complexes as a molecular scaffold for polyfunctional and polytopic systems: Synthesis of the first closo-borate iron(II) clathrochelate

The ribbed functionalization of the clathrochelate iron(II) tris-dioximates as a potential “molecular scaffold” for the synthesis of polyfunctional and polytopic complexes with closo-dodecaborate-anion substituents was performed. closo-Dodecaborate-substituted clathrochelate [FeBd2(Cl(B12H11NH)Gm)(BF)2]2− (where Bd2− is α-benzyldioxime dianion, Gm is glyoxime residue) dianion was prepared starting from dichloride clathrochelate FeBd2(Cl2Gm)(BF)2 precursor with amino-closo-dodecaborate (NBu4)[B12H11NH3] in the presence of potassium tert-amylate. This clathrochelate dianion was isolated as a tetra-n-butylammonium salt and characterized using elemental analysis, MALDI-TOF and PD mass, IR, UV-Vis, 57Fe Mössbauer spectra as well as by 1H, 11B and 13C{1H} NMR spectra.