The exploitation of metallacarboranes’ potential in various fields of research and practical applications requires the availability of convenient and versatile methods for their functionalization with various functional moieties and/or linkers of different types and lengths. Herein, we report a study on cobalt bis(1,2-dicarbollide) functionalization at 8,8′-boron atoms with different hetero-bifunctional moieties possessing a protected hydroxyl function allowing further modification after deprotection. Moreover, an approach to the synthesis of three and four functionalized metallacarboranes, at boron and carbon atoms simultaneously via additional functionalization at carbon to obtain derivatives carrying three or four rationally oriented and distinct reactive surfaces, is described.

The exploitation of the metallacarboranes’ potential in various fields of research and practical ap-plications requires the availability of convenient and versatile methods for their functionalization with various functional moieties and/or linkers of different types and lengths. Herein we report a study on cobalt bis(1,2-dicarbollide) functionalization at 8,8’-boron atoms with different het-ero-bifunctional moieties containing protected hydroxyl function allowing further modification after deprotection. Moreover, an approach to the synthesis of three and four functionalized metallacarboranes, at boron and carbon atoms simultaneously, via additional functionalization at carbon to obtain derivatives carrying three or four rationally oriented and distinct reactive surfaces, is described

A novel nanocomposite of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and thiophosphate derivative of metal-boron cluster complex (metallacarborane), [8,8'-μ-O2P(O)SH-3,3'-Co(1,2-C2B9H10)2]HDBU was developed. The metallacarborane functionalized AuNPs were characterized by UV-vis, DLS, ELS, and ESI-MS techniques. The mass-spectrometry studies unanimously confirmed metallacarborane attachment to the surface of AuNPs. Fluorescent properties of the combined nanosystem based on the metallacarborane functionalized AuNPs and bovine serum albumin (BSA) have shown more effective protein binding to functionalized than non-functionalized AuNPs. Functionalizing of AuNPs with compound 1 appears to improve the nanoparticles activity against HSV-1 in cells after long-term infection for the higher virus concentration in post-treatment mode.

Au–S anchoring of phosphorothioate metallacarboranes augments protein binding to gold nanoparticles. Protein (native BSA form, PDB 4F5S): margenta, B: green, P: orange, S: yellow, Co: blue, Au: yellow spheres.