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Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Synthetic Methodology for Asymmetric Ferrocene Derived Bio-conjugate Systems via Solid Phase Resin-based Methodology
Published on: March 12, 2015
[Os(η5-B5H10)2]: A carbon-free analog of ferrocene
Stutee Mohapatra1, Suvam Saha1, Gaurav Joshi2
1Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India.
Abstract:
The synthesis of a carbon-free analog of ferrocene has been a long-standing goal in inorganic chemistry. We report here the preparation and crystallographic characterization of the carbon-free sandwich complex [Os(η5-B5H10)2], which is qualitatively similar to ferrocene in structure and bonding. The metal-ring bonding is much stronger in [Os(η5-B5H10)2], owing to rehybridization of the π molecular orbitals brought in by the bridging B-H-B hydrogens and the bent B-Ht bonds of the larger B5H10 ring (where B-Ht is the terminal B-H bond). This also leads to an unusually short ring-ring separation of 3.071 angstroms and a staggered conformation. The isomeric [Os(η5-B5H10)(η3-B5H10)], which features a coordination mode unknown for ferrocene, has also been isolated. A similar attempt for [Ru(η5-B5H10)2] resulted only in [Ru(η5-B5H10)(η3-B5H10)].
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