A HOLMIUM(III) CARBONS-ADJACENT CARBORANE CLUSTER, -2-(C6H16N2)(2)(HOCL2(C8H22B4SI2)(2))].0.5C(6)H(6)

The title compound, bis(N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylene-diamine)lithium ylsilyl)-2,3-dicarba-1-holma-closo-heptaborato]}-1 kappa(3)H(4',5',6): 2 kappa(2)H(4,5), 2 kappa bis[(N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine)li thium] benzene hemisolvate, )]}-1,1'-commo-Ho(2,3-(CB4H4)-B-2)(2)].0.3 C(6)H(6) (TMEDA) = tetramethylethylenediamine), crystallized in a mono clinic space group, P2(1)/n. The structure of this cluster consists of an Ho-III 'carbon adjacent' carborane bent-sandwich complex in which two Cl- ions are present, in different bonding environments, in the pr imary coordination sphere of the Ho atom, giving a very distorted tetr ahedral arrangement about the metal with the Ho-Cnt(1,2) = 2.378, 2.35 0 Angstrom, Cnt(1)-Ho-Cnt(2) = 128.5 degrees, Cnt(1,2)-Ho-Cl(1,2) = 10 7.9, 103.2 degrees, Cnt(2)-Ho-Cl(1,2) = 110.6, 104.4 degrees, and Cl(1 )-Ho-Cl(2) = 97.17(6)degrees (Cnt = C2B3 centroid). One of the exo-pol yhedral Li(TMEDA) units is linked to both opposing C2B3 faces via thre e B-H-(terminal) bonds and the other interacts with only one of the C2 B3 faces via two B-H-(terminal) groups with an additional linkage to t he central Ho atom via an Ho-Cl-Li bridge.