ORGANOCOBALT CLUSTER COMPLEXES .28. HIGHLY STABILIZED (NONACARBONYLTRICOBALT)CARBON-SUBSTITUTED CARBONIUM-IONS

The action of concentrated sulfuric acid, trifluoroacetic acid, or aqueous hexafluorophosphoric acid/propionic anhydride on (OC)9Co3CCH(OH)R resulted in formation of carbonium ions of type [(OC)9Co3CCHR]+. Very stable hexafluorophosphate salts of these cations were isolated in analytical purity. On the basis of their reactivity toward nucleophilic reagents (alcohols, PhSH, PhNH2, and very reactive aromatic nucleophiles), their 1H and l3 C NMR spectra, and their IR spectra it was concluded that most of the positive charge generated at the carbon atom at which C-O heterolysis has occurred is delocalized onto the cobalt atoms. © 1979, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.