o-Phenylene-bridged Cp/sulfonamido titanium complexes for ethylene/1-octene copolymerization

The Suzuki-coupling reaction of 2-(dihydroxyboryl)-3,4-dimethyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one and 2-(dihydroxyboryl)-3-methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one with 2-bromoaniline derivatives affords cyclopentenone compounds from which cyclopentadiene compounds, 4,6-R'(2)-2-(2,5-Me2C5H3)C6H2NH2 and 4,6-R'(2)-2-(2,3,5-Me3C5H2)C6H2NH2 are prepared. After sulfonation of the -NH2 group with p-TsCl, metallation is carried out by successive addition of Ti(NMe2)4 and Me2SiCl2 affording o-phenylene-bridged Cp/sulfonamido titanium dichloride complexes, 4,6-R'(2)-2-(2,5-Me2C5H2)C6H2NSO2C6H4CH3)]TiCl2 (R'=H, ; R'=Me, ; R'=F, ) and 4,6-R'(2)-2-(2,3,5-Me3C5H)C6H2NSO2C6H4CH3)]TiCl2 (R'=H, ; R'=Me, ; R'=F, ). The molecular structures of and 2-(2,5-Me2C5H2)C6H4NSO2C6H4CH3)]Ti(NMe2)2 are determined by X-ray crystallography. The Cp(centroid)-Ti-N angle in is smaller (100.90 degrees) than that observed for the CGC (constrained-geometry catalyst), Me2Si(eta5-Me4Cp)(NtBu)]TiCl2 (107.6 degrees) indicating a more "constrained feature" in than in the CGC. Complex shows the highest activity among the newly prepared complexes in ethylene/1-octene copolymerization but it is slightly inferior to the CGC in terms of activity, comonomer-incorporation ability, and molecular weight of the obtained polymers.