Cluster Borane Analogues of Cyclopentadienyl Anion and Ferrocene

Abstract

A review on cluster borane analogues of the cyclopentadienyl anion (Cp) and ferrocene is presented. The analogues of Cp are the eleven-vertex triheteroboranes of general structure [nido-E₃B₈H₈]^- (E is CH or CH and P) were used as effective ligands for the preparation of half- and full-sandwich complexes [CpFeE₃B₈H₈] and [Fe(C₃B₈H₁₀-NR₂)₂] (R is H or alkyl) – analogues of ferrocene. Advances in the area of phosphadicarbollides, diphosphacarbollides, and their iron complexes are discussed.