Iridium and ruthenium catalyzed syntheses, hydroborations, and metathesis reactions of alkenyl-decaboranes.

The selective syntheses of new classes of 6,9-dialkenyl- and 6-alkenyl-decaboranes and 6-alkyl-9-alkenyl-decaboranes have been achieved via iridium and ruthenium catalyzed decaborane and 6-alkyl-decaborane alkyne-hydroborations. Reactions employing [Cp*IrCl2]2 and [RuCl2(p-cymene)]2 precatalysts gave β-E-alkenyl-decaboranes, while the corresponding reactions with [RuI2(p-cymene)]2 gave the α-alkenyl-decaborane isomers, with the differences in product selectivity suggesting quite different mechanistic steps for the catalysts. The alkenyl-decaboranes were easily converted to other useful derivatives, including coupled-cage and functionally substituted compounds, via iridium-catalyzed hydroborations and ruthenium-catalyzed homo and cross olefin-metathesis reactions.