UC Riverside

Carborane anions have been increasingly utilized as a vital tool in the study of reactive compounds as a result of their high stability and weakly coordinating properties. These unique properties has anchored them into the toolbox of any chemist pursing unique and novel chemistry. Though they have been mainly used as counter anions to stabilize reactive cations, their application in organometallic chemistry is still in its infancy. In this report, we provide an in depth study on their impact towards organometallic chemistry. Specifically, we studied their reactivity with the trityl cation and found that it does not react the way it has historically been explained. Moreover, we sought to use them as phosphine ligand substituents. Their use in the hydroamination of alkynes with gold was explored. Furthermore, their incorporation into a series of zwitterionic Ru complexes were examined. We also investigated how carboranyl phosphines affect the activity of Drent-type palladium polymerization of ethylene. Lastly, we probed an exotic palladium dimer with its reactivity with ethylene.