Alkynyl gold(I) rigid-rod molecules from 1,12-bis(ethynyl)-1,12-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane(12)

Reactions of 1,12-bis(ethynyl)-1,12-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane(12), 1,12-(HCdropC)(2)-1,12-C2B10H10 (diethynylcarborane, decH(2)), with gold complexes of type [Au(acac)L] (acac = acetylacetonate) gave the neutral digold complexes [(AuL)(2)(mu-dec)] [L = PPh3 (1), P(C6H4-OMe-4)(3) (2), C((NHBu)-Bu-t)(NEt2) (3)]. The neutral complex [((AuCNBu)-Bu-t)(2)(mu-dec)] (5) was obtained by adding (BuNC)-Bu-t to the complex [Au-2(mu-dec)](n) (4) resulting from the reaction of decH(2) with [AuCl(SMe2)] and NEt3. The anionic complex PPN[Au(decH)(2)] (6) (PPN = Ph3P=N=PPh3) was isolated from its mixture with (PPN)(2)[{Au(decH)}(2)(mu-dec)] (7) by reacting PPN[Au(acac)(2)] and decH(2) in 1:4 molar ratio. The rigid-rod structures of the digold compound 2.CH2Cl2 and the salt 6.CHCl3 were determined by X-ray crystallography.