Protonation of the Dodecahydro-closo-Dodecaborate Anion in CH3CN/CF3COOH

Abstract

The behavior of the [B₁₂H₁₂]^2– anion in CH₃CN, CF₃COOH, and the CH₃CN/CF₃COOH system is studied by IR spectroscopy. Based on the IR spectroscopy data correlated with the data obtained when studying the protonation processes of boron cluster anions [B₆H₆]^2– and [B₁₀H₁₀]^2–, the possibility to prepare the protonated form of the closo-dodecaborate anion, namely monoanion [B₁₂H₁₃]^–, is concluded in CF₃COOH and the CH₃CN/CF₃COOH system. In the IR spectra of salts of the protonated forms of anions [B_nH_n]^2– (n = 6, 10, 12) in solutions and Nujol mulls, a high-frequency shift of the ν(BH) absorption bands is observed as compared with the spectra of salts of non-protonated anions Cat₂[B_nH_n] (Δν = 70–100 cm^–1).