Bi- and tri-metallic {Cp*RhCl} fragments partnered with carborane monoanions [CB11H6Y6](-) (Y = H, Br): control of nuclearity by choice of anion

Reaction of [CP*RhCl2](2) (Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) with Ag[closo-CB11H12] affords the dinuclear salt [Cp*RhCl](2)[CB11H12](2) (1), which in the solid state reveals a single carborane anion interacting with two (Cp*RhCl) fragments, via two B-H-Rh interactions. With Ag[closo-CB11H6Br6] the trimetallic complex [(Cp*Rh(mu(2)-Cl)](3)(mu(3)-Cl)][closo-CB11H6Br6](2) (2) results. In the solid state, three metal fragments and four chloride ligands form seven-corners of a cube, and the eighth vertex is completed by a cage C-H unit hydrogen bonded to three bridging chloride ligands. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.