Reactions of Bis(pentafluorophenyl)borane with Titanocene Dialkyls: Synthesis and Structure of Cp2Ti[η2-H2B(C6F5)2]

Clean reactions of Cp 2 TiR 2 (R = CH 3, CH 2 Ph) with HB(C 6 F 5 ) 2 occur when 2.5 equiv of borane are used. The products of the reaction are the Ti(III) complex Cp 2 Ti[η 2 -H 2 B(C 6 F 5 ) 2 ], which has been fully characterized, RH, and RB(C 6 F 5 ) 2 . A plausible explanation for these observations, which contrast with other reactions of boranes with group 4 metallocenes, is presented.