The unexpected reactivity of 9-iodo-nido-carborane: from nucleophilic substitution reactions to the synthesis of tricobalt tris(dicarbollide) Na[4,4′,4′′-(MeOCH2CH2O)3-3,3′,3′′-Co3(μ3-O)(μ3-S)(1,2-C2B9H10)3]

An unusual reactivity of 9-iodo-nido-carborane [9-I-7,8-C2B9H11](-) towards nucleophiles under strong basic conditions was revealed. The nucleophilic substitution of iodine with O- and N-nucleophiles results in [9-RO-7,8-C2B9H11](-) (R = H, CH2CH2OMe) and [9-L-7,8-C2B9H11] (L = Py, NEt3, Me2NCH2CH2NMe2), respectively. Reaction of [9-I-7,8-C2B9H11](-) with CoCl2 in 1,2-dimethoxyethane in the presence of t-BuOK, depending on the order of addition of the reagents, leads either to a diastereomeric mixture of diiodo derivatives cobalt bis(dicarbollide) rac-[4,4 '-I-2-3,3 '-Co(1,2-C2B9H10)(2)](-) and meso-[4,7 '-I-2-3,3 '-Co(1,2-C2B9H10)(2)](-) or to the corresponding mixture of 2-methoxyethoxy derivatives rac-[4,4 '-(MeOCH2CH2O)(2)-3,3 '-Co(1,2-C2B9H10)(2)](-) and meso-[4,7 '-(MeOCH2CH2O)(2)-3,3 '-Co(1,2-C2B9H10)(2)](-). In the presence of accidental admixture of sodium thiosulfate, the reactions of 9-iodo-nido-carborane and 9-(2 '-methoxyethoxy)-nido-carborane with CoCl2 in 1,2-dimethoxyethane were found to produce additionally unprecedented tricobalt tris(dicarbollide) cluster Na[4,4',4 ''-(MeOCH2CH2O)(3)-3,3',3 ''-Co-3(mu(3)-O)(mu(3)-S)(1,2-C2B9H10)(3)], the central fragment of which is a trigonal bipyramid with apical oxygen and sulfur atoms, and the base is formed by the Co-3 triangle flanked by three dicarbollide ligands. In addition, the 2-methoxyethoxy substituents of the dicarbollide ligands chelate the sodium cation in such a way that they form a helix whose rotation direction depends on the enantiomer of the parent ligand. Thus, in this case, induction of the helical chirality of the complex occurs due to the point chirality of the initial inorganic ligand. It is worth noting that in the case of symmetrically substituted 2-methoxyethoxy derivative of nido-carborane [10-MeOCH2CH2O-7,8-C2B9H11](-) only formation of the corresponding cobalt bis(dicarbollide) complex [8,8 '-(MeOCH2CH2O)(2)-3,3'-Co(1,2-C2B9H10)(2)](-) was observed.