In this work, we report the reactivity of the carboranyl
diphosphine,
1-PtBu2–2-PiPr2-C2B10H10, with terminal alkynes,
resulting in the formation of boron-containing phosphacycles. The
reported system combines the nucleophilic activation of electron-deficient
terminal alkynes via electron-rich phosphine groups with the redox
behavior of carborane clusters to promote a sequence of metal-free
intramolecular B–H bond activation and cyclization, creating
an alkenylphosphonium cycle fused with a reduced open nido-carborane cluster.