BOROLE DERIVATIVES - 24 - SYNTHESIS OF CATIONIC (ARENE)(PHENYLBOROLE)RHODIUM COMPLEXES - STRUCTURES OF THE TRINUCLEAR COMPLEX (ETA(5)-C4H4BPH)RH(MU(3)-I)(3)-RH(MU,ETA(5) ETA(6)-C4H4BPH)RH(ETA(5)-C4H4BME)CENTER-DOT-CH2CL2 AND OF THE POLYMERIC CATENA-(MU,ETA(5)/ETA(6)-1-PHENYLBOROLE)RHODIUM TETRAFLUOROBORATE/

The heterocubane [Rh(mu(3)-I)(C4H4BPh)](4) (1) reacts with Ag+ salts i n acetonitrile to give the labile salt [Rh(NCMe)(3)(C4H4BPh)]BF4 (2). This salt 2 reacts with hexamethylbenzene (hmb) to give the arene comp lex [Rh(C4H4BPh)(hmb)]BF4 (3), and with mesitylene [Rh(1,3,5-C6H3Me3)( C4H4BPh)]BF4 (4) is obtained. Complex 2 loses acetonitrile under vacuu m to produce the polymeric salt catena-[{Rh(mu,eta(5):eta(6)-C4H4BPh)} BF4](x) (5). Insight into the essential structural features of this po lymer provided its radial distribution function obtained from a wide-a ngle X-ray scattering experiment, When treated with acetonitrile, comp lex 5 regenerates 2 and with pyridine affords [Rh(py)(3)((C4H4BPh)]BF4 (6). Crystallization from a solution of [Rh(mu(3)-I)(C4H4BPh)](4) (1) and the corresponding methylborole complex [Rh(mu(3)-I)(C4H4BMe)](4) (1/1) in CH2Cl2 produces the trinuclear complex (eta(5)-C4H4BPh)Rh(mu( 3)-I)(3)Rh(mu,eta(5): eta(6)-C4H4BPh)Rh(eta(5)-C4H4BMe). CH2Cl2 (7) wi th a bridging mu,eta(5):eta(6)-C4H4BPh ligand; complex 7 was character ized by an X-ray structure determination, The resulting molecular stru cture was used to create a structure model for the monomeric building block of polymer 5.