NH3-promoted ligand lability in eleven-vertex rhodathiaboranes

The reaction of the 11-vertex rhodathiaborane, [8,8-(PPh3)2-nido-8,7-RhSB9H10] (1), with NH3 affords inmediately the adduct, [8,8,8-(NH3)(PPh3)2-nido-8,7-RhSB9H10] (4). The NH3-Rh interaction induces the labilization of the PPh3 ligands leading to the dissociation product, [8,8-(NH3)(PPh3)-nido-8,7-RhSB9H10] (5), which can then react with another molecule of NH3 to give [8,8,8-(NH3)2(PPh3)-nido-8,7-RhSB9H10] (6). These clusters have been characterized in situ by multielement NMR spectroscopy at different temeperatures. The variable temperature behavior of the system demonstrates that the intermediates 4-6 are in equilibrium, involving ligand exchange processes. On the basis of low intensity signals present in the (1)H NMR spectra of the reaction mixture, some species are tentatively proposed to be the bis- and tris-NH3 ligated clusters, [8,8-(NH3)2-nido-8,7-RhSB9H10] (7) and [8,8,8-(NH3)3-nido-8,7-RhSB9H10] (8). After evaporation of the solvent and the excess of NH3, the system containing species 4-8 regenerates the starting reactant, 1, thus closing a stoichiometric cycle of ammonia addition and loss. After 40 h at room temperature, the reaction of 1 with NH3 gives the hydridorhodathiaborane, [8,8,8-(H)(PPh3)2-nido-8,7-RhSB9H9] (2), as a single product. The reported rhodathiaboranes show reversible H3N-promoted ligand lability, which implies weak Rh-N interactions, leading to a rare case of metal complexes that circumvent "classical" Werner chemistry.