Synthesis and application of chromium complexes bearing hyperbranched PNP ligands in the ethylene oligomerization

Series of hyperbranched PNP ligands ( L1 – L3 ) were prepared using three low-generation hyperbranched molecules with the same branching chains and functional groups but different alkyl chain length as backbones in a mixed solvent of acetonitrile and dichloromethane. The chromium complexes ( Cr1 – Cr3 ) were obtained by reacting with CrCl₃(THF)₃ and the corresponding ligands ( L1 – L3 ). Both L1 – L3 and Cr1 – Cr3 were characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared and electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry as well as ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and ³¹P NMR measurements in the case of the ligands. When activated with different aluminum co-catalysts, all three chromium complexes were able to catalyze the ethylene oligomerization, but the products of the ethylene oligomerization were mainly dependent on ethylene pressure, co-catalyst and ligand backbone. Upon activation with methylaluminoxane, the catalytic activity and the selectivity of C8 olefin increased with increasing of ethylene pressure for Cr1 , the catalytic activity was 13.83 × 10⁵ g·(mol Cr·h)⁻¹ and the main product was C8 olefin (50.68%) at the ethylene pressure of 4.0 MPa. When activated with diethylaluminium chloride, ethylaluminium dichloride and ethylaluminum sesquichloride, Cr1 showed the lower catalytic activity and the higher selectivity of C4 olefin in toluene. An increase in the length of alkyl chain in the hyperbranched PNP ligand backbone caused a decrease in the catalytic activity and an increase in the selectivity of C8 + olefin. The PNP chromium complexes exhibited higher selectivity for higher carbon number olefins compared with the dendritic PNP chromium complex ( Cr5 ).