Agostic (C-H···M) complexes [
closo-3,3-(
![](/images/gifchars/sigma.gif)
,
2-C
8H
13)-1,2-
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-(
ortho-xylylene)-3,1,2-IrC
2B
9H
9](
5) and [
closo-3,3-(
![](/images/gifchars/sigma.gif)
,
2-C
8H
13)-1,2-
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-(
ortho-xylylene)-3,1,2-RhC
2B
9H
9] (
9), stable in the solidstate, have been prepared via the reaction of [M(
4-COD)Cl]
2 (M = Ir, Rh) with the K
+ saltof the [
nido-7,8-
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-(
ortho-xylylene)-7,8-C
2B
9H
10]
- anion and characterized by a combinationof analytical (in the case of
5) and multinuclear NMR data, including a single-crystal X-raydiffraction study of
5. The crystallographic study confirmed the agostic structure of
5 andrevealed that the orientation of the
![](/images/gifchars/sigma.gif)
,
2-cyclooctenyl moiety relative to the carborane ligandis substantially influenced by the specific intramolecular C-H···
![](/images/gifchars/pi.gif)
interaction between theagostic hydrogen and the
![](/images/gifchars/pi.gif)
-system of the cage aromatic substituent. In solution,
5 exhibitedboth "side-to-side" agostic hydrogen migration and reversible interconversion with [
closo-3-(
3-C
8H
13)-1,2-
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-(
ortho-xylylene)-3,1,2-IrC
2B
9H
9] (
8). The agostic rhodium complex (
9), incontrast, converts irreversibly both in the solid state and in solution to its
3-cyclooctenylisomer [
closo-3-(
3-C
8H
13)-1,2-
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-(
ortho-xylylene)-3,1,2-RhC
2B
9H
9] (
11), which thus could beobtained as a pure solid. In solution, complex
11 is fluxional and shows an agostic C-H···Rhinteraction. The fluxional process involves the exchange between the
endo hydrogen atoms,on one hand, and the
exo and allyl hydrogens of the C
8-ring, on the other hand, confirmedby 2D [
1H-
1H]-EXSY spectroscopy. Solution structures of the agostic complexes obtainedare discussed in detail on the basis of normal and low-temperature
1H and
13C/
13C{
1H} NMRspectroscopic data.