Interaction between a Decahydro-closo-Decaborate(2–) Anion and Aliphatic Carboxylic Acids

Interaction between a closo-decaborate anion B10H2– 10and carboxylic acids RCOOH (R = H, CH3, C2H5, iso-C3H7, C4H9) is studied. The mono-, di- tri- and tetrasubstituted products B10H10 – n (OCOR)2– n are formed in sequence with the temperature growth. The reaction follows an essentially regioselective mechanism: only one of all possible isomers forms at every stage of the process. The respective hydroxy-closo-decaborates B10H10 – n (OH)2– n were prepared by alkaline hydrolysis in aqueous and nonaqueous solutions. All the compounds were identified by chemical analysis and 11B NMR and IR spectroscopy. The crystal structure of [Pb(Bipy)(DMF)(B10H9OH)] · DMF was determined by X-ray diffraction.