Synthesis, Structure and Catalytic Activity Comparison of Tris- and Tetracoordinated Lanthanide Amides

Tetracoordinated lanthanide amides [(MeaSi)2N]3Ln (μ-C1)Li(THF)3 (Ln=La (1), Pr (2)) were synthesized by the reaction of anhydrous lanthanide(Ⅲ) chlorides LnCl3 (Ln=La, Pr) with 3 equiv, of lithium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide (Me3Si)2NLi in THF, followed by recrystallization from toluene. Sublimation of 1 and 2 afforded the triscoordinate lanthanide amides [(Me3Si)2N]3Ln (Ln=La, Pr). The crystal structure of 2 was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The catalytic activity studies show that the tetracoordinate amides can be used as single-component MMA (methyl methacrylate) polymerization catalysts, while the triscoordinate amides showed poor activity on MMA polymerization under the same conditions.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Dinuclear Rare Earth Complexes Bearing N-heterocyclic Olefin Moieties

The oxygen-bridged dinuclear rare earth complexes(Ln=Nd(1),Y(2))bearing N-heterocyclic olefin moieties were synthesized by treating the imidazolidinium salt[SIMes-H]Br with potassium amide and rare earth bis(trimethylsilyl)amides.Complex 1 was characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis and complex 2 was characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy.Both complexes were characterized by elemental analysis.Crystal data of complex 1:C74H138O2N8Si8Nd2,Mr=1685.12,orthorhombic,space group Pbca,a=25.1105(7),b=11.9188(2),c=29.6151(7)?,V=8863.4(4)?^3,Z=4,Dc=1.263 g·cm^-3,μ=1.311 mm^-1,F(000)=3544,the final R=0.0418 and wR=0.0770 for all data.The ring-opening of tetrahydrofuran molecule was proven,the possible mechanism for the formation of N-heterocyclic olefin(NHO)-rare earth complexes was speculated and the electronic and steric properties of SIMes and rare earth amides were discussed.This work provides a better understanding of N-heterocyclic carbene rare earth chemistry.     

Ethylene polymerization and ethylene/hexene copolymerizaion with vandium catalysts bearing thiophenolphosphine ligands

Vanadium(Ⅲ) complexes bearing thiophenol-phosphine ligands (2a-2b) (2-R-6-PPh2-C6H2S) VCl2(THF)2 (2a: R=H; 2b: R=Me3Si) were prepared from VCl3(THF)3 by treating with 1.0 equiv of the ligand in tetrahydrofuran in the presence of excess triethylamine. The two complexes were characterized by FTIR and mass spectra as well as elemental analyses. On activation with Et2AlCl, these complexes exhibited high catalytic activities (up to 22.1 kg PE/(mmolV·h·bar)) even at high temperature (70℃), and produced high molecular weight polymers with unimodal molecular weight distributions, indicating the polymerization took place in a single-site nature. This result may be attributed to benefits of introduction of second-row donor atoms for adjusting charge density of the vanadium centers. In addition, these complexes also exhibited high catalytic activities for ethylene/1-hexene copolymerization. Catalytic activity, comonomer incorporation and polymer molecular weight can be controlled in a wide range by the variation of catalyst structure and the reaction parameters such as Al/V molar ratio, comonomer feed concentration and polymerization reaction temperature.     

Synthesis and Thermal Rearrangement of Tetramethyldisilane-bridged Bis(cyclopentadienyl) Diiron Complexes with Bis(phosphine)Substitution

Photolysis of [Me2SiSiMe2)[C5H4Fe(CO2)]2with a series of bis(phosphine)ligands Ph2P(CH2)n PPh2(n=1-4) leads to the formation of the corresponding diiron complexes with intramolecular and intermolecular bis(phosphine) substitution.When these complexes were heated in refluxing xylene.only in the complexes with intermolecular bis(phosphine )substitution the thermal rearrangement reaction occurred.     

Copolymerization of Ethylene with 10-Undecen-1-ol Using Highly Active Vanadium(Ⅲ) Precatalysts Bearing Bis(imino)pyrrolyl Ligands

The copolymerizations of ethylene with 10-undecen-1-ol have been investigated using vanadium precatalysts, bis(imino)pyrrolyl vanadium(III) complexes 1-3, 2,5-C4H2N(CH=NR)2VCl2(THF)2 [R = C6H5(1), 2,6-iPr2C6H3(2), C6F5(3)], and the iminopyrrolyl and β-diketiminate ones for comparison. The polar monomer was pretreated by diethylaluminium chloride(present also as the cocatalyst) before the copolymerization. The monomer reactivity ratios were evaluated using the Fineman-Ross method. The ligand structure considerably influenced the catalytic activity and tolerance towards the polar monomer, the polar monomer incorporation and the molecular weights of the resultant copolymers. The bis(imino)pyrrolyl vanadium complexes exhibited promising catalytic performance for the copolymerization, and a high catalytic activity up to 3.84 kg/mmolv·h with a high comonomer incorporation of 14.0 mol% was achieved by complex 3 under mild conditions.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Dinuclear Aluminum Complexes Bearing N,N-Dialkylaniline-amido Ligands and Its Catalytic Properties for Lactone Polymerization

Two ligands [ortho-C6H4NR2（CH2NH）]2CH2CH2（3： R=Me; 4： R=EO were prepared by the reduction of preligands [ortho-C6H4NR2（CH=N）]zCH2CH2（1： R=Me; 2： R=Et）. These ligands reacted with AIMe3 to afford the corresponding dinuclear aluminum complexes {A1Me2[ortho-C6H4NR2（CH2N）]}2CHzCH2（5： R=Me; 6： R=Et）. All the compounds were characterized by 1H and UC nuclear magnetic resonance（NMR） spectroscopies and elemental analyses. The catalytic properties of the aluminum complexes towards the ring-opening polymerization of lactones were investi- gated in the presence of benzvl alcohol. All the oolvmerization reactions were proceeded in a controlled manner.     

Influence of the Substituents on Imino-aryl Ring of Mono(imino)pyrrole-Ni~(Ⅱ) Complexes to Their Ethylene Polymerization Catalytic Performance

In order to study the influence of substituents on imino-aryl rings of mono(imino)pyrrole-transition metal complexes to their ethylene polymerization performance, a series of mono(imine)pyrroles(L1-L3) were synthesized by microwave irradiation from 2-acetylpyrrole and a series of 2,6-position disubstituted anilines(substituent: H, Me, Et). A simplified synthetic method was introduced to prepare the corresponding nickel complexes NiL_2(1～3) with direct condensation of mono(imine)pyrrole ligands and nickel dichloride. All the compounds were fully characterized by 1 H NMR, IR, EA, MS, and X-ray crystal diffraction. Ligand L3(C_(16)H_(20)N_2, Mr = 240.34) belongs to the triclinic system, space group P1, with a = 7.9606(19), b = 9.028(2), c = 11.205(3) ?, the final R = 0.0606 and wR = 0.1875. Complex 3(C_(32)H_(38)N_4Ni, Mr = 537.37) belongs to the monoclinic system, space group C2/c with a = 19.811(3), b = 11.262(2), c = 26.004(4) ?, the final R = 0.0388 and wR = 0.1020. The crystal structures indicated that all the Ni~(Ⅱ) complexes have similar tetra-coordinated geometries, in which the ligand chelated to the center nickel with a 2:1 molar ratio. Catalytic properties of the Ni~(Ⅱ) complexes for ethylene polymerization were systematically investigated, and the results showed a regular increase of catalytic activities with steric hindrance of the substituents on the imino-aryl ring of Ni~(Ⅱ) complexes.     

Simple Lanthanide Amides [(Me3Si)2N]3Ln(μ-Cl)Li(THF)3 as Highly Efficient Catalysts for the Nitroaldol Reaction

This contribution is to report the application of simple lanthanide amides [(Me3Si)2N]3Ln(μ-Cl)Li(THF)3 exhibiting a high activity toward catalyzing Henry reaction of aromatic aldehydes with nitroalkanes to give β-nitroalcohols or β-nitroolefins with a very good chemoselectivity by controlling the reaction temperatures and by selecting aromatic aldehydes. It was found that this catalytic system was compatible with a wide range of substrates of aldehydes.     

Introduction of Constrained Cyclic Skeleton into β-Enaminoketonato Vanadium Complexes: A Strategy for Stabilization of Active Centre of Vanadium Catalyst for Ethylene Polymerization

Several novel mono( ?-enaminoketonato) vanadium complexes bearing constrained cyclic skeleton, including[(C6H5)C6H3C(O) = C(CH2)nCH = N ― Ar]VCl2(THF)2(V3a: n = 1, Ar = C6H5; V4a: n = 2, Ar = C6H5; V4b: n = 2, Ar =C6F5; V4c: n = 2, Ar =(C3H7)2C6H3; V5a: n = 3, Ar = C6H5), were synthesized and their structure and properties were characterized. The structures of V4 c and V5 a in solid-state were further confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis.Density functional theory(DFT) results indicated that these complexes showed enhanced steric hindrance around the metal center as compared with the acyclic analogues. Upon activation with Et2 Al Cl and in the presence of ethyl trichloroacetate as a reactivator, all of the complexes exhibited high catalytic activities(107 g PE/(mol V·h)) toward ethylene polymerization, and the obtained polymers exhibited unimodal distributions(Mw/Mn = 2.0-2.3) even produced at elevated temperatures(70-100 °C) and prolonged reaction time. When MAO was employed as a cocatalyst, they only showed moderate catalytic activities(105 g PE/(mol V·h)), but the resulting polymers had higher molecular weights(168-241 kg/mol). These vanadium complexes with cyclic skeleton also showed high catalytic activities toward ethylene/norbornene copolymerization. The produced copolymers displayed approximate alternating structure at high in-feed concentration of norbornene. The catalytic capabilities of these complexes could be tuned conveniently by varying ligand structure. Furthermore, the cyclic voltammetry results also proved that these complexes exhibited better redox stabilities than the complexes bearing linear skeleton.     

Mononuclear and Dinuclear Yttrium Complexes Supported by Pyrrolide Ligands: Syntheses,Structures and Catalytic Behaviors towards the Ring-opening Polymerization of ε-Caprolactone

The syntheses, structures and catalytic activities of two yttrium complexes supported by pyrrolide ligands are reported. Treatment of Y(N(Si Me3)2)3 with one equivalent of H3bptd(H3bptd = 1,9-bis(2-pyrrolyl)-2,5,8-triazanona-1,8-diene) in THF gave a complex of composition [Y(bptd)(THF)]2(1). Reaction of Y(N(Si Me3)2)3 with one equivalent of H3tpa(H3tpa = tris(pyrrolyl-?-methyl)amine) in THF generated [Y(tpa)(THF)3](2) in good yield. Complexes 1and 2 have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analyses and NMR spectroscopy. Complex 1 is dinuclear. The two metal centers are doubly bridged by two amine nitrogen atoms to form a Y–N–Y–N four-membered rhombus ring. The geometries of Y3+ ions in 1and 2 are well described as pentagonal bipyramid and capped octahedron, respectively. The ring-opening polymerization reactions of ?-caprolactone initiated by 1 and 2, respectively, were investigated. They both exhibited good catalytic activity for the polymerization of ?-caprolactone. All of the obtained polymers have high molecular weights and relatively narrower PDIs. The polymers generated by 2 possessed polydispersity close to 1.1. The good catalytic activities of 1 and 2 reveal their potential applications in polymer industry.     

Catalytic Kinetics of the Schiff Base Metal Complexes Bearing Side Chain of Cyclic morpholine in Carboxylic Ester Hydrolysis

It has been reported that two Schiff base transition metal complexes bearing the side chain of the morpholine ring were synthesized and characterized, and two complexes with the same base agent but different metal ions were used as a simulant hydrolase in the catalytic hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl picolinate in this paper. The mechanism of PNPP catalytic hydrolysis is proposed and supported by the results of the spectral analysis and the kinetic calculation. A kinetic mathematical model, applied to the calculation of the kinetic and thermodynamics parameters of PNPP catalytic hydrolysis, has been established on the foundation of the mechanism proposed. The result of the study shows that the two complexes have a good catalytic activity in PNPP catalytic hydrolysis, and the rate of the PNPP catalytic hydrolysis was increased with the increase of the pH values in the buffer solution and affected by the polarization effect of metal ion of the complexes.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of a New Guanidinatoaluminium Complex and Its Utility in the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley Reduction

The treatment of pyrrolidine(C_4H_8NH) with sequentially trimethylaluminum and carbodiimide Cy N=C=NCy in a molar ratio of 1:1:1 in the presence of O_2 afforded a new guanidinatoaluminum complex, [{(C_4H_8N)C(NCy)_2}Al Me(μ-OMe)]2(1), which was characterized by elemental analyses, ~1H, ~(13)C NMR spectra and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Complex 1 crystallizes in monoclinic, space group P21/c with a = 9.8330(9), b = 8.5786(8), c = 24.159(2) ?, β = 92.927(2)°, V = 2035.3(3) ?3, Dc = 1.141 g cm-3, F(000) = 768 and μ = 0.110 mm-1. In addition, complex 1 was used to catalyze the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley(MPV) reduction and 1 as a pre-catalyst at low catalyst loadings(5 mol%) exhibited good catalytic activity for the reduction of a series of aldehydes to the corresponding alcohols in good yields(conv. up to 99%).     

三元配合物RE [(Pdtc)3(phen)]热化学性质的规律性

Treatment of hydrate rare-earth(RE=La,Pr,Nd,Sm-Lu)chloride with ammonium pyrrolidinyldithiocarboxy-late(apdtc)and 1,10-phenanthroline(phen)gave rise to thirteen complexes with an empirical formulaRE[(pdtc)_3(phen)].The enthalpies of solution of hydrate rare-earth(RE= Sm-Ho,Tm-Lu)chloride,apdtc and phenin ethanol were measured by an RD-496 Ⅲ microcalorimeter at 298.15 K,along with the mixing enthalpy of etha-nol solution of APDC and that of phen and the enthalpies of reaction of formation of the title complexes in ethanol.The enthalpies of reaction of formation of the title complexes in solid were available through a rationally thermo-chemical cycle.Using an RD-496 Ⅲ microcalorimeter,a model was developed for calculating the specific heat ca-pacity and the responding specific heat capacity of the complexes were determined.The thermochemical properties,including the enthalpies of solution of hydrate rare earth chloride in ethanol,the enthalpies of reaction of formationof the title complexes in ethanol,the enthalpies of reaction of formation of the title complexes in solid,the specialheat capacities at room temperature,the standard molar enthalpies of combustion and the standard molar enthalpiesof formation for this series of complexes versus the atomic numbers of rare earth,presented triplet effect,which isrepresentative of certain covalent bond between RE and the ligands and the result of 4f electron not shielded fullyby 5s5p.     

Bimetallic amine-bridged bis(phenolate) lanthanide aryloxides and alkoxides: synthesis,characterization, and application in the ring-opening polymerization of rac-lactide and rac-β-butyrolactone

A series of neutral bimetallic lanthanide aryloxides p-C6H4[OLnL(THF)n]2 [Ln = Y(1), Yb(2), Sm(3)(n = 1) and La(4)(n = 2), L = Me2NCH2CH2N{CH2-(2-O–C6H2–tBu2-3,5)}2] and alkoxides p-C6H4CH2[OLnL(THF)]2 [Ln = Y(5), Yb(6)] supported by an amine-bridged bis(phenolate) ligand have been synthesized through one-pot reactions of Ln(C5H5)3(THF), LH2 with p-benzenediol and 1,4-benzenedimethanol, respectively. All complexes have been fully characterized by elemental analyses, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and IR and multi-nuclear NMR spectroscopy(in the cases of 1, 4 and 5). Study of their catalytic behavior revealed that, in general, all complexes are efficient initiators for the polymerization of rac-lactide(LA) and rac-β-butyrolactone(BBL), except for 3 and 4 in the case of BBL. The influence imposed by lanthanides of different ionic radii and initiating groups of different structures on the activity, controllability, and stereoselectivity of polymerization were systematically studied and compared. Highly heterotactic PLA(Pr up to 0.99) and syndiotactic PHB(Pr ≈ 0.81) with high molecular weight and narrow polydispersity formed and were automatically capped with hydroxyl functionality at both ends.     

Solvothermal Syntheses,Crystal Structures,Thermal Stability and Quantum Chemistry of Dinuclear Trialkyltin Complexes Constructed by Camphoric Acid

Two dinuclear organotin complexes C8H14(CO2SnCy3)2(1)(Cy = cyclohexyl group) and C8H14[CO2Sn(CH2CMe2Ph)3]2(2) were synthesized by the reactions of camphoric acid with tricyclohexyltin hydroxide and bis[tri(2-methyl-2-phenyl)propyltin] oxide under solvothermal conditions, and these complexes were characterized by infrared spectra, elemental analyses, and H NMR spectra. The crystal of 1 belongs to the monoclinic system, space group P21/c with a = 1.83478(19), b = 1.52707(18), c = 1.9849(2) nm, β = 122.515(7), Z = 4, V = 4.6896(9) nm3, Dc = 1.324 g/cm3, μ(MoKα) = 1.103 mm-1, F(000) = 1952, R = 0.0697 and wR = 0.2040. In addition, thermal stability and quantum chemical calculation of 1 were also studied.     

Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation of Prochiral Ketones in Aqueous Media with New Water-Soluble Chiral Vicinal Diamine as Ligand

As a consequence of the increasing demand for atom economy and environmental friendly methods, the water soluble ligands and their metal complexes are of great interest in catalytic synthesis because of simpler product sepa ration and the possibility of recycling. [1] Unique reactivity and selectivity are often observed in aqueous reactions. [2]Recently, we have developed a new water-soluble chiral vicinal diamine and synthesized its mono-N-tosylated derivative for the first time. The application of its mono-N-tosylated derivative in catalytic asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of prochiral ketones was examined in aqueous media. High activity (up to ＞ 99 % conv. ) and good enatioselectivity ( up to 98% ee ) were achieved for most of prochiral aromatic ketones in organic solvent free system. [3]     

Binuclear Aluminum Complexes Supported by Linked Bis(β-diketiminate) Ligands for Ring-Opening Polymerization of Cyclic Esters

Binuclear aluminum alkyl complexes 2a–4g supported by linked bis(β-diketiminate) ligands were synthesized via the reaction of AlEt_3 or AlMe_3 and the corresponding proligand in a 2:1 molar ratio with moderate yields. The isolated complexes were well-characterized by ~1H-NMR, ~(13)C-NMR and elemental analysis. The binuclear nature of aluminum complex 2b was further confirmed by an X-ray diffraction study. All complexes 2a–4g could efficiently initiate the ring-opening polymerization(ROP) of ε-caprolactone in toluene. The substituents at the aromatic rings and the linker unit in the auxiliary ligands exerted significant influence on the catalytic behavior of the investigated aluminum complexes. Complex 4g(R~1 = R~2 = Cl) containing propylenyl bridging unit exhibited the highest catalytic activity among these complexes, which might be attributed to the increased electrophilicity of the metal center as well as more opened coordination sphere. The molecular weights of obtained poly(ε-caprolactone)s deviating considerably from the theoretical values indicated that the ROP of ε-caprolactone by complexes 2a–4g was not well-controlled, which was also judged from the broad molecular weight distributions(MWD = 1.47-2.47) of produced poly(ε-caprolactone)s. These complexes proved to be inactive toward the polymerization of rac-lactide alone. In the presence of alcohol the polymerization occurred, which was actually initiated by the decomposition species of the aluminum complex upon the treatment with isopropanol.     

Enantioselective chlorination of β-keto esters and amides catalyzed by chiral copper（Ⅱ） complexes of squaramide-linked bisoxazoline ligand

Enantioselective chlorination of b-keto esters and amides catalyzed by squaramide-linked bisoxazoline ligand–Cu（OAc）2complexes was investigated. The corresponding chlorinated products were obtained in excellent yields with moderate enantioselectivities. The effect of solvent, temperature, Lewis acid, and ligand structure on the reaction is discussed. This was the first investigation of catalytic asymmetric achlorination of b-keto amides. This study has highlighted that a simple chiral squaramide–oxazoline with cheap Cu（OAc）2 H2 O complexes can catalyze this chlorination.     

Syndiotactic polymerization of styrene and copolymerization with ethylene catalyzed by chiral half-sandwich rare-earth metal dialkyl complexes

The syndiotactic polymerization of styrene(St) and the copolymerization of St with ethylene(E) were carried out by using a series of chiral half-sandwich rare-earth metal dialkyl complexes(Cp~x*) as the catalysts. The complexes are Ln(CH_2SiMe_3)_2(THF)(1-4: Ln = Sc(1), Ln = Lu(2), Ln = Y(3), Ln = Dy(4)) bearing chiral cyclopentadienyl ligand containing bulky cylcohexane derivatives in the presence of activator and AliBu_3. For the St polymerization, a high activity up to 3.1 × 10~6 g of polymer mol Ln~(-1)·h~(-1) and a high syndiotactic selectivity more than 99% were achieved. The resulting syndiotactic polystyrenes(sPSs) have the molecular weights(Mn) ranging from 3700 g·mol~(-1) to 6400 g·mol~(-1) and the molecular weight distributions(Mw/Mn) from 1.40 to 5.03. As for the copolymerization of St and E, the activity was up to 2.4 × 10~6 g of copolymer mol Sc~(-1)·h~(-1)·MPa~(-1), giving random St-E copolymers containing syndiotactic polystyrene sequences with different St content in the range of 15 mol%-58 mol%. These results demonstrate that the bulky cyclopentadienyl ligands of the chiral half-sandwich rare-earth metal complexes effectively inhibit the continued insertion of St monomers into the(co)polymer chain to some extent in comparison with the known half-sandwich rare-earth metal complexes.     

环戊二烯基钌配合物催化的高选择性苯乙炔二聚反应

Transition metal vinylidene complexes (M=C=CHR) have attracted a great deal of attention in recent years as a new type of organometallic intermediates that may have unusual reactivity[1]. Their reactivity has been explored and their application to organic synthesis is developed[2]. Recent reports on the ruthenium-vinylidene complexes[3]suggest that the reaction of ruthenium-vinylidene complexes with a base generates the coordinatively unsaturated ruthenium acetylide species, which are involved in a number of catalytic and stoichiometric reactions of alkynes. For example,the coordinatively unsaturated ruthenium acetylide species C5Me5Ru(PPh3)-C≡CPh,formed from the reaction of the vinylidene complex C5Me5Ru(PPh3) (Cl)=C=CHPh with a base was reactive toward a variety of small molecules and active in catalytic dimerization of terminal alkynes[4]. The dimerization of terminal alkyne is an effective method of forming enynes, but its synthetic application in organic synthesis has been limited dueto low selectivity for dimeric products[5]. In this communication, we report that three ruthenium complexes were used as catalysts for the highly selective dimerization of phenylacetylene.