Exceptionally high molecular weight linear polyethylene by using N,N,N′‐Co catalysts appended with a N′‐2,6‐bis{di(4‐fluorophenyl)methyl}‐4‐nitrophenyl group

The bis(arylimino)pyridines, 2‐[CMeN{2,6‐{(4‐FC₆H₄)₂CH}₂–4‐NO₂}]‐6‐(CMeNAr)C₅H₃N (Ar = 2,6‐Me₂C₆H₃ L1 , 2,6‐Et₂C₆H₃ L2 , 2,6‐i‐Pr₂C₆H₃ L3 , 2,4,6‐Me₃C₆H₂ L4 , 2,6‐Et₂–4‐MeC₆H₂ L5 ), each containing one N′‐2,6‐bis{di(4‐fluorophenyl)methyl}‐4‐nitrophenyl group, have been synthesized by two successive condensation reactions from 2,6‐diacetylpyridine. Their subsequent treatment with anhydrous cobalt (II) chloride gave the corresponding N,N,N′‐CoCl₂ chelates, Co1 – Co5 , in excellent yield. All five complexes have been characterized by ¹H/¹⁹F NMR and IR spectroscopy as well as by elemental analysis. In addition, the molecular structures of Co1 and Co3 have been determined and help to emphasize the differences in steric properties imposed by the inequivalent N‐aryl groups; distorted square pyramidal geometries are adopted by each complex. Upon activation with either methylaluminoxane (MAO) or modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO), precatalyts Co1 – Co5 collectively exhibited very high activities for ethylene polymerization with 2,6‐dimethyl‐substituted Co1 the most active (up to 1.1 × 10⁷ g (PE) mol^?1 (Co) h^?1); the MAO systems were generally more productive. Linear polyethylenes of exceptionally high molecular weight (M_w up to 1.3 × 10⁶ g mol^?1) were obtained in all cases with the range in dispersities exhibited using MAO as co‐catalyst noticeably narrower than with MMAO [M_w/M_n: 3.55–4.77 ( Co1 – Co5 /MAO) vs. 2.85–12.85 ( Co1 – Co5 /MMAO)]. Significantly, the molecular weights of the polymers generated using this class of cobalt catalyst are higher than any literature values reported to date using related N,N,N‐bis (arylimino)pyridine‐cobalt catalysts.     

Moderately branched ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene by using N,N′‐nickel catalysts adorned with sterically hindered dibenzocycloheptyl groups

Five examples of unsymmetrical 1,2‐bis (arylimino) acenaphthene ( L1 – L5 ), each containing one N‐2,4‐bis (dibenzocycloheptyl)‐6‐methylphenyl group and one sterically and electronically variable N‐aryl group, have been used to prepare the N,N′‐nickel (II) halide complexes, [1‐[2,4‐{(C₁₅H₁₃}₂–6‐MeC₆H₂N]‐2‐(ArN)C₂C₁₀H₆]NiX₂ (X = Br: Ar = 2,6‐Me₂C₆H₃ Ni1 , 2,6‐Et₂C₆H₃ Ni2 , 2,6‐i‐Pr₂C₆H₃ Ni3 , 2,4,6‐Me₃C₆H₂ Ni4 , 2,6‐Et₂–4‐MeC₆H₂ Ni5 ) and (X = Cl: Ar = 2,6‐Me₂C₆H₃ Ni6 , 2,6‐Et₂C₆H₃ Ni7 , 2,6‐i‐Pr₂C₆H₃ Ni8 , 2,4,6‐Me₃C₆H₂ Ni9 , 2,6‐Et₂–4‐MeC₆H₂ Ni10 ), in high yield. The molecular structures Ni3 and Ni7 highlight the extensive steric protection imparted by the ortho‐dibenzocycloheptyl group and the distorted tetrahedral geometry conferred to the nickel center. On activation with either Et₂AlCl or MAO, Ni1 – Ni10 exhibited very high activities for ethylene polymerization with the least bulky Ni1 the most active (up to 1.06  ×  10⁷ g PE mol^?1(Ni) h^?1 with MAO). Notably, these sterically bulky catalysts have a propensity towards generating very high molecular weight polyethylene with moderate levels of branching and narrow dispersities with the most hindered Ni3 and Ni8 affording ultra‐high molecular weight material (up to 1.5  ×  10⁶ g mol^?1). Indeed, both the activity and molecular weights of the resulting polyethylene are among the highest to be reported for this class of unsymmetrical 1,2‐bis (imino)acenaphthene‐nickel catalyst.     

Cycloheptyl‐fused NNO‐ligands as electronically modifiable supports for M(II) (M = Co,Fe) chloride precatalysts; probing performance in ethylene oligo‐/polymerization

The N,N,O‐cobalt(II), [2,3‐{C₄H₈C(NAr)}:5,6‐{C₄H₈C(O)}C₅HN]CoCl₂ (Ar = 2,6‐(CHPh₂)₂‐4‐MeC₆H₂ Co1 , 2,6‐(CHPh₂)₂‐4‐EtC₆H₂ Co2 , 2,6‐(CHPh₂)₂‐4‐ClC₆H₂ Co3 , 2,6‐(CHPh₂)₂‐4‐FC₆H₂ Co4 ) and N,N,O‐iron(II) complexes, [2,3‐{C₄H₈C(NAr)}:5,6‐{C₄H₈C(O)}C₅HN]FeCl₂ (Ar = 2,6‐(CHPh₂)₂‐4‐MeC₆H₂ Fe1 , 2,6‐(CHPh₂)₂‐4‐EtC₆H₂ Fe2 , 2,6‐(CHPh₂)₂‐4‐ClC₆H₂ Fe3 , 2,6‐(CHPh₂)₂‐4‐FC₆H₂ Fe4 ), each containing one sterically enhanced but electronically modifiable N‐2,6‐dibenzhydryl‐4‐R²‐phenyl group, have been prepared by a one‐pot template approach using α,α′‐dioxo‐2,3:5,6‐bis(pentamethylene)pyridine, the corresponding aniline along with the respective cobalt or iron salt in acetic acid. Distorted square pyramidal geometries are a feature of the molecular structures of Co1 – Co4 . Upon activation with MAO or MMAO, Co1 – Co4 show good activities (up to 2.2 × 10⁵ g mol^?1(Co) h^?1) affording short chain oligomers (C₄–C₃₀) with good α‐olefin selectivity. By contrast, Fe1 – Fe4 , in the presence of MMAO, displayed moderate activities (up 10.9 × 10⁴ g(PE) mol^?1(Fe) h^?1) for ethylene polymerization forming low‐molecular‐weight linear polymers (up to 13.0 kg mol^?1) incorporating saturated n‐propyl and i‐butyl chain ends. For both cobalt and iron, the precatalysts incorporating the more electron withdrawing 4‐R²‐substituents [Cl ( Co3 / Fe3 ), F ( Co4 / Fe4 )] deliver the best catalytic activities, while with cobalt, these types of substituents additionally broaden the oligomeric distribution. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55 , 3980–3989     

Effect of core substituents on the intramolecular exchange interaction in N,N′‐dioxy‐2,6‐diazaadamantane biradical: DFT studies

Density‐functional theory calculations of a series of organic biradicals on the basis of the N,N′‐dioxy‐2,6‐diazaadamantane core with different substituents at carbon atoms adjacent to the nitroxyl groups have been performed by the UB3LYP/6‐311++G(2d,2p) method. Using the breaking symmetry approach, the values of the exchange interaction parameter, J, between the radical centers are calculated. It is shown that the intramolecular exchange interaction for the most part is ferromagnetic in nature, but the J parameter gradually decreases, changing its sign to antiferromagnetic interaction for the last substituent in the following sequence: CF₃(CH₃)COH > CH₂F(H)COH > CH₂OH > H > CBr₃ > CH₂F > CCl₃ > CF₃ > CH₂Br > CH₂Cl > CH₃ > C₂H₅ > C₃H₇ > i‐C₄H₉ > F > Br > OCH₃ > Cl > CH₂C₆H₅. The calculations at the UHSEH1PBE/6‐311++G(2d,2p) level with the most of substituents show nearly the same variation sequence for the J parameter. It is concluded that spin polarization effects in the diazaadamantane cage and a direct through‐space antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between the nitroxyl groups are the main mechanisms contributing to the exchange interaction parameter value in the studied series of compounds. The exchange coupling constant, J, depends on the electronic effects and geometry of the substituents, as well as on their specific interactions with the nitroxyl radical groups.     

Molecular weight control of polyethylene waxes using a constrained imino‐cyclopenta[b]pyridyl‐nickel catalyst

Five examples of nickel(II) bromide complexes bearing N,N‐imino‐cyclopenta[b ]pyridines, [7‐(ArN)‐6,6‐Me₂C₈H₅N]NiBr₂ (Ar = 2,6‐Me₂C₆H₃ ( Ni1 ), 2,6‐Et₂C₆H₃ ( Ni2 ), 2,6‐i‐ Pr₂C₆H₃ ( Ni3 ), 2,4,6‐Me₃C₆H₂ ( Ni4 ), 2,6‐Et₂‐4‐MeC₆H₂ ( Ni5 )), have been prepared by the reaction of the corresponding ligand, L1 – L5 , with NiBr₂(DME) (DME = 1,2‐dimethoxyethane). On crystallization from bench dichloromethane, Ni1 underwent adventitious reaction with water to give the aqua salt, [ L1 NiBr(OH₂)₃][Br] ( Ni1' ). The molecular structures of Ni1' and Ni3 have been structurally characterized, the latter revealing a bromide‐bridged dimer. On activation with either MMAO or Et₂AlCl, Ni1 , Ni2 , Ni4, and Ni5 , all exhibited high activities for ethylene polymerization (up to 3.88 × 10⁶ g(PE) mol^?1(Ni) h^?1); the most sterically bulky Ni3 gave only low activity. Polyethylene waxes are a feature of the materials obtained which typically display low molecular weights (M _ws), narrow M _w distributions and unsaturated vinyl and vinylene functionalities. Notably, the catalyst comprising Ni1 /Et₂AlCl produced polyethylene with the lowest M _w, 0.67 kg mol^?1, which is less than any previously reported data for any class of cycloalkyl‐fused pyridine–nickel catalyst. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55 , 3494–3505     

Efficient ethylene/norbornene copolymerization by half‐titanocenes containing imidazolin‐2‐iminato ligands and MAO catalyst systems

Ethylene copolymerizations with norbornene (NBE) using half‐titanocenes containing imidazolin‐2‐iminato ligands, Cp′TiCl₂[1,3‐R₂(CHN)₂C?N] [Cp′ = Cp ( 1 ), ^tBuC₅H₄ ( 2 ); R = ^tBu ( a ), 2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃ ( b )], have been explored in the presence of methylaluminoxane (MAO) cocatalyst. Complex 1a exhibited remarkable catalytic activity with better NBE incorporation, affording high‐molecular‐weight copolymers with uniform molecular weight distributions, whereas the tert‐BuC₅H₄ analog ( 2a ) showed low activity, and the resultant polymer prepared by the Cp‐2,6‐diisopropylphenyl analog ( 1b ) possessed broad molecular weight distribution. The microstructure analysis of the poly(ethylene‐co‐NBE)s prepared by 1a suggests the formation of random copolymers including two and three NBE repeating units. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2575–2580     

N,N:N′,N′‐Bis(2,2'‐dihydroxy­biphen­yl‐3,3'‐dimethyl­idene)benzene‐1,2‐diamine dimeth­yl sulfoxide tetra­solvate

The title compound, 8,15,28,35‐tetra­aza­hepta­cyclo[35.3.1.1^2,6.1^17,21.1^22,26.0^9,14·0^29,34]tetraconta‐1(41),2,4,6(42),7,9,11,13,15,17,19,21(43),22,24,26(44),27,29,31,33,35,37,39‐docosaene‐41,42,43,44‐tetrol dimeth­yl sulfoxide tetra­solvate, C₄₀H₂₈N₄O₄·4C₂H₆OS, adopts a chair‐shaped C_2h symmetric conformation with crystallographically imposed inversion symmetry. Four intra­molecular hydrogen bonds are observed between phenol O and imine N atoms.     

A Tandem Catalytic System for the Synthesis of Ethylene–Hex‐1‐ene Copolymers from Ethylene Stock

Summary: A tandem catalytic system, composed of (η⁵‐C₅H₄CMe₂C₆H₅)TiCl₃ ( 1 )/MMAO (modified methyl aluminoxane) and [(η⁵‐C₅Me₄)SiMe₂(tBuN)]TiCl₂ ( 2 )/MMAO, was applied for the synthesis of ethylene–hex‐1‐ene copolymers with ethylene as the only monomer stock. During the reaction, 1 /MMAO trimerized ethylene to hex‐1‐ene, while 2 /MMAO copolymerized ethylene with the in situ produced hex‐1‐ene to poly(ethylene–hex‐1‐ene). By changing the catalyst ratio and reaction conditions, a series of copolymer grades with different hex‐1‐ene fractions at high purity were effectively produced.

The overall strategy of the tandem 1 / 2 /MMAO catalytic system.     

Bis(β‐diketiminato) lanthanide amides: synthesis,structure and catalysis for the polymerization of l‐lactide and ε‐caprolactone

Treatment of the chlorides (L^2,6‐iPr2_Ph)₂LnCl (L^2,6‐iPr2_Ph = [(2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃)NC(Me)CHC(Me)N(C₆H₅)]^?) with 1 equiv. of NaNH(2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃) afforded the monoamides (L^2,6‐iPr2_Ph)₂LnNH(2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃) (Ln = Y ( 1 ), Yb ( 2 )) in good yields. Anhydrous LnCl₃ reacted with 2 equiv. of NaL^2,6‐iPr2_Ph in THF, followed by treatment with 1 equiv. of NaNH(2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃), giving the analogues (L^2,6‐iPr2_Ph)₂LnNH(2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃) (Ln = Sm ( 3 ), Nd ( 4 )). Two monoamido complexes stabilized by two L^2‐Me ligands, (L^2‐Me)₂LnNH(2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃) (L^2‐Me = [N(2‐MeC₆H₄)C(Me)]₂CH)^?; Ln = Y ( 5 ), Yb ( 6 )), were also synthesized by the latter route. Complexes 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 were fully characterized, including X‐ray crystal structure analyses. Complexes 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 are isostructural. The central metal in each complex is ligated by two β‐diketiminato ligands and one amido group in a distorted trigonal bipyramid. All the complexes were found to be highly active in the ring‐opening polymerization of L‐lactide (L‐LA) and ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL) to give polymers with relatively narrow molar mass distributions. The activity depends on both the central metal and the ligand (Yb < Y < Sm ≈ Nd and L^2‐Me < L^2,6‐iPr2_Ph). Remarkably, the binary 3/benzyl alcohol (BnOH) system exhibited a striking ‘immortal’ nature and proved able to quantitatively convert 5000 equiv. of L‐LA with up to 100 equiv. of BnOH per metal initiator. All the resulting PLAs showed monomodal, narrow distributions (M_w/M_n = 1.06 ? 1.08), with molar mass (M_n) decreasing proportionally with an increasing amount of BnOH. The binary 4/BnOH system also exhibited an ‘immortal’ nature in the polymerization of ε‐CL in toluene. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Factors affecting product distributions in ethylene/styrene copolymerization by (aryloxo)(cyclopentadienyl)titanium complexes‐MAO catalyst systems

Ethylene/styrene copolymerizations using Cp′TiCl₂(O‐2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃) [Cp′ = Cp* (C₅Me₅, 1 ), 1,2,4‐Me₃C₅H₂ ( 2 ), tert‐BuC₅H₄ ( 3 )]‐MAO catalyst systems were explored under various conditions. Complexes 2 and 3 exhibited both high catalytic activities (activity: 504–6810 kg‐polymer/mol‐Ti h) and efficient styrene incorporations at 25, 40°C (ethylene 6 atm), affording relatively high molecular weight poly (ethylene‐co‐styrene)s with unimodal molecular weight distributions as well as with uniform styrene distributions (M_w = 6.12–13.6 × 10⁴, M_w/M_n = 1.50–1.71, styrene 31.7–51.9 mol %). By‐productions of syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS) were observed, when the copolymerizations by 1 – 3 ‐MAO catalyst systems were performed at 55, 70 °C (ethylene 6 atm, SPS 9.0–68.9 wt %); the ratios of the copolymer/SPS were affected by the polymerization temperature, the [styrene]/[ethylene] feed molar ratios in the reaction mixture, and by both the cyclopentadienyl fragment (Cp′) and anionic ancillary donor ligand (L) in Cp′TiCl₂(L) (L = Cl, O‐2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃ or N=C^tBu₂) employed. Co‐presence of the catalytically‐active species for both the copolymerization and the homopolymerization was thus suggested even in the presence of ethylene; the ratios were influenced by various factors (catalyst precursors, temperature, styrene/ethylene feed molar ratio, etc.). © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4162–4174, 2008     

Stable N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Adducts of Arylchlorosilylenes and Their Germanium Homologues

The first N‐heterocyclic carbene adducts of arylchlorosilylenes are reported and compared with the homologous germanium compounds. The arylsilicon(II) chlorides SiArCl(Im‐Me₄) [Ar=C₆H₃‐2,6‐Mes₂ (Mes=C₆H₂‐2,4,6‐Me₃), C₆H₃‐2,6‐Trip₂ (Trip=C₆H₂‐2,4,6‐iPr₃)] were obtained selectively on dehydrochlorination of the arylchlorosilanes SiArHCl₂ with 1,3,4,5‐tetramethylimidazol‐2‐ylidene (Im‐Me₄). The analogous arylgermanium(II) chlorides GeArCl(Im‐Me₄) were prepared by metathetical exchange of GeCl₂(Im‐Me₄) with LiC₆H₃‐2,6‐Mes₂ or addition of Im‐Me₄ to GeCl(C₆H₃‐2,6‐Trip₂). All compounds were fully characterized. Density functional calculations on ECl(C₆H₃‐2,6‐Trip₂)(Im‐Me₄), where E=Si, Ge, at different levels of theory show very good agreement between calculated and experimental bonding parameters, and NBO analyses reveal similar electronic structures of the two aryltetrel(II) chlorides. The low gas‐phase Gibbs free energy of bond dissociation of SiCl(C₆H₃‐2,6‐Trip₂)(Im‐Me₄) (Δ${G{{{\circ}\hfill \atop {\rm calcd}\hfill}}}$ =28.1 kJ mol^?1) suggests that the carbene adducts SiArCl(Im‐Me₄) may be valuable transfer reagents of the arylsilicon(II) chlorides SiArCl.     

Two ZnII mononuclear coordination compounds with pyridinedicarboxylate and auxiliary N‐(pyridin‐4‐ylmethylidene)hydroxylamine ligands

Two new mononuclear coordination compounds, bis{4‐[(hydroxyimino)methyl]pyridinium} diaquabis(pyridine‐2,5‐dicarboxylato‐κ²N,O²)zincate(II), (C₆H₇N₂O)₂[Zn(C₇H₃NO₄)₂(H₂O)₂], (1), and (pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylato‐κ³O²,N,O⁶)bis[N‐(pyridin‐4‐ylmethylidene‐κN)hydroxylamine]zinc(II), [Zn(C₇H₃NO₄)(C₆H₆N₂O)₂], (2), have been synthesized and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffractometry. The centrosymmetric Zn^II cation in (1) is octahedrally coordinated by two chelating pyridine‐2,5‐dicarboxylate ligands and by two water molecules in a distorted octahedral geometry. In (2), the Zn^II cation is coordinated by a tridentate pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylate dianion and by two N‐(pyridin‐4‐ylmethylidene)hydroxylamine molecules in a distorted C₂‐symmetric trigonal bipyramidal coordination geometry.     

Pseudopolymorphs of 2,6‐diaminopyrimidin‐4‐one and 2‐amino‐6‐methylpyrimidin‐4‐one: one or two tautomers present in the same crystal

The derivatives of pyrimidin‐4‐one can adopt either a 1H‐ or a 3H‐tautomeric form, which affects the hydrogen‐bonding interactions in cocrystals with compounds containing complementary functional groups. In order to study their tautomeric preferences, we crystallized 2,6‐diaminopyrimidin‐4‐one and 2‐amino‐6‐methylpyrimidin‐4‐one. During various crystallization attempts, four structures of 2,6‐diaminopyrimidin‐4‐one were obtained, namely solvent‐free 2,6‐diaminopyrimidin‐4‐one, C₄H₆N₄O, (I), 2,6‐diaminopyrimidin‐4‐one–dimethylformamide–water (3/4/1), C₄H₆N₄O·1.33C₃H₇NO·0.33H₂O, (Ia), 2,6‐diaminopyrimidin‐4‐one dimethylacetamide monosolvate, C₄H₆N₄O·C₄H₉NO, (Ib), and 2,6‐diaminopyrimidin‐4‐one–N‐methylpyrrolidin‐2‐one (3/2), C₄H₆N₄O·1.5C₅H₉NO, (Ic). The 2,6‐diaminopyrimidin‐4‐one molecules exist only as 3H‐tautomers. They form ribbons characterized by R²₂(8) hydrogen‐bonding interactions, which are further connected to form three‐dimensional networks. An intermolecular N—H...N interaction between amine groups is observed only in (I). This might be the reason for the pyramidalization of the amine group. Crystallization experiments on 2‐amino‐6‐methylpyrimidin‐4‐one yielded two isostructural pseudopolymorphs, namely 2‐amino‐6‐methylpyrimidin‐4(3H)‐one–2‐amino‐6‐methylpyrimidin‐4(1H)‐one–dimethylacetamide (1/1/1), C₅H₇N₃O·C₅H₇N₃O·C₄H₉NO, (IIa), and 2‐amino‐6‐methylpyrimidin‐4(3H)‐one–2‐amino‐6‐methylpyrimidin‐4(1H)‐one–N‐methylpyrrolidin‐2‐one (1/1/1), C₅H₇N₃O·C₅H₇N₃O·C₅H₉NO, (IIb). In both structures, a 1:1 mixture of 1H‐ and 3H‐tautomers is present, which are linked by three hydrogen bonds similar to a Watson–Crick C–G base pair.     

Reactivity of an N,N‐Chelated Germylene Toward Substituted Alkynes,Alkenes, and Allenes

Treatment of N,N‐chelated germylene [(iPr)₂NB(N‐2,6‐Me₂C₆H₃)₂]Ge ( 1 ) with ferrocenyl alkynes containing carbonyl functionalities, FcC≡CC(O)R, resulted in [2+2+2] cyclization and formation of the respective ferrocenylated 3‐Fc‐4‐C(O)R‐1,2‐digermacyclobut‐3‐enes 2 – 4 [R = Me ( 2 ), OEt ( 3 ) and NMe₂ ( 4 )] bearing intact carbonyl substituents. In contrast, the reaction between 1 and PhC(O)C≡CC(O)Ph led to activation of both C≡C and C=O bonds producing bicyclic compound containing two five‐membered 1‐germa‐2‐oxacyclopent‐3‐ene rings sharing one C–C bond, 4,8‐diphenyl‐3,7‐dioxa‐2,6‐digermabicyclo[3.3.0]octa‐4,8‐diene ( 5 ). With N‐methylmaleimide containing an analogous C(O)CH=CHC(O) fragment, germylene 1 reacted under [2+2+2] cyclization involving the C=C double bond, producing 1,2‐digermacyclobutane 6 with unchanged carbonyl moieties. Finally, 1 selectively added to the terminal double bond in allenes CH₂=C=CRR′ giving rise to 3‐(=CRR′)‐1,2‐digermacyclobutanes [R/R′ = Me/Me ( 7 ), H/OMe ( 8 )] bearing an exo‐C=C double bond. All compounds were characterized by ¹H, ¹³C{¹H} NMR, IR and Raman spectroscopy and the molecular structures of 3 , 4 , 5 , and 8 were established by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. The redox behavior of ferrocenylated derivatives 2 – 4 was studied by cyclic voltammetry.     

Hydrosilylation Induced by N→Si Intramolecular Coordination: Spontaneous Transformation of Organosilanes into 1‐Aza‐Silole‐Type Molecules in the Absence of a Catalyst

Our attempts to synthesize the N→Si intramolecularly coordinated organosilanes Ph₂L¹SiH ( 1 a ), PhL¹SiH₂ ( 2 a ), Ph₂L²SiH ( 3 a ), and PhL²SiH₂ ( 4 a ) containing a CH?N imine group (in which L¹ is the C,N‐chelating ligand {2‐[CH?N(C₆H₃‐2,6‐iPr₂)]C₆H₄}^? and L² is {2‐[CH?N(tBu)]C₆H₄}^?) yielded 1‐[2,6‐bis(diisopropyl)phenyl]‐2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐aza‐silole ( 1 ), 1‐[2,6‐bis(diisopropyl)phenyl]‐2‐phenyl‐2‐hydrido‐1‐aza‐silole ( 2 ), 1‐tert‐butyl‐2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐aza‐silole ( 3 ), and 1‐tert‐butyl‐2‐phenyl‐2‐hydrido‐1‐aza‐silole ( 4 ), respectively. Isolated organosilicon amides 1 – 4 are an outcome of the spontaneous hydrosilylation of the CH?N imine moiety induced by N→Si intramolecular coordination. Compounds 1–4 were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction analysis. The geometries of organosilanes 1 a – 4 a and their corresponding hydrosilylated products 1 – 4 were optimized and fully characterized at the B3LYP/6‐31++G(d,p) level of theory. The molecular structure determination of 1 – 3 suggested the presence of a Si?N double bond. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, however, shows a very strong donor–acceptor interaction between the lone pair of the nitrogen atom and the formal empty p orbital on the silicon and therefore, the calculations show that the Si?N bond is highly polarized pointing to a predominantly zwitterionic Si⁺N^? bond in 1 – 4 . Since compounds 1 – 4 are hydrosilylated products of 1 a – 4 a , the free energies (ΔG₂₉₈), enthalpies (ΔH₂₉₈), and entropies (ΔH₂₉₈) were computed for the hydrosilylation reaction of 1 a – 4 a with both B3LYP and B3LYP‐D methods. On the basis of the very negative ΔG₂₉₈ values, the hydrosilylation reaction is highly exergonic and compounds 1 a – 4 a are spontaneously transformed into 1 – 4 in the absence of a catalyst.     

Synthesis and characterization of bis(indenyl) zirconium aryloxide derivatives and their use in α‐olefin polymerization

A series of new bis(indenyl) zirconium diaryloxides of general formula Ind₂Zr(OL)₂ (L = C₆H₅, 2 ; C₆F₅, 3 ; 2,6‐Me₂C₆H₃, 4; 2,4,6‐Me₃C₆H₂, 5 ; 4‐^tBuC₆H₄, 6 ) were synthesized by a metathesis reaction of Ind₂ZrCl₂ ( 1 ) with the appropriate thallium aryloxide salt, TlOL. The complexes 1–6 were characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR techniques. They were also examined as catalysts for ethene and 1‐hexene polymerization with methylalumoxane as co‐catalyst, and a trend of the polymerization activity as a function of aryloxide ligands was observed. An interpretation of this trend, considering both the electronic and steric effects of the substituents on the aryloxide rings, was proposed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Balancing high thermal stability with high activity in diaryliminoacenaphthene‐nickel(II) catalysts for ethylene polymerization

The N,N‐diaryliminoacenaphthenes, 1,2‐[2,4‐{(4‐FC₆H₄)₂CH}₂‐6‐MeC₆H₄N]₂‐C₂C₁₀H₆ ( L1 ) and 1‐[2,4‐{(4‐FC₆H₄)₂CH}₂‐6‐MeC₆H₄N]‐2‐(ArN)C₂C₁₀H₆ (Ar = 2,6‐Me₂C₆H₃ L2 , 2,6‐Et₂C₆H₃ L3 , 2,6‐i‐Pr₂C₆H₃ L4 , 2,4,6‐Me₃C₆H₂ L5 , 2,6‐Et₂‐4‐MeC₆H₂ L6 ), incorporating at least one N ?2,4‐bis(difluoro benzhydryl)‐6‐methylphenyl group, have been synthesized and fully characterized. Interaction of L1 – L6 with (DME)NiBr₂ (DME = 1,2‐dimethoxyethane) generates the corresponding nickel(II) bromide N,N‐chelates, L NiBr₂ ( 1 – 6 ), in high yield. The molecular structures of 3 and 6 reveal distorted tetrahedral geometries at nickel with the ortho‐substituted difluorobenzhydryl group providing enhanced steric protection to only one side of the metal center. On activation with various aluminum alkyl co‐catalysts, such as methylaluminoxane (MAO) or Et₂AlCl, 1 – 6 displayed outstanding activity toward ethylene polymerization (up to 1.02 × 10⁷ g of PE (mol of Ni)^?1 h^?1). Notably 1 , bearing equivalent fluorobenzhydryl‐substituted N‐aryl groups, was able in the presence of Et₂AlCl to couple high activity with exceptional thermal stability generating high molecular weight branched polyethylenes at temperatures as high as 100 °C. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55 , 1971–1983     

The CoIII—C bond in (1‐thia‐4,7‐diazacyclodecyl‐κ3N4,N7,C10)(1,4,7‐triazacyclononane‐κ3N1,N4,N7)cobalt(III) dithionate hydrate

In the title compound, [Co(C₆H₁₅N₃)(C₇H₁₅N₂S)]S₂O₆·H₂O, the Co—C bond distance is 1.9930 (13) Å, which is shorter than for related compounds with the linear 1,6‐di­amino‐3‐thia­hexan‐4‐ide anion in place of the macrocyclic 1‐thia‐4,7‐diazacyclo­decan‐8‐ide anion. The coordinated carbanion produces an elongation of 0.102 (7) Å of the Co—N bond to the 1,4,7‐tri­aza­cyclo­nonane N atom in the trans position. This relatively small trans influence is presumably a result of the tri­amine ligand forming strong bonds to the Co^III atom.     

Crystalline Radicals Derived from Classical N‐Heterocyclic Carbenes

One‐electron reduction of C2‐arylated 1,3‐imidazoli(ni)um salts (IPr^Ar)Br (Ar=Ph, 3 a ; 4‐DMP, 3 b ; 4‐DMP=4‐Me₂NC₆H₄) and (SIPr^Ar)I (Ar=Ph, 4 a ; 4‐Tol, 4 b ) derived from classical NHCs (IPr=:C{N(2,6‐iPr₂C₆H₃)}₂CHCH, 1 ; SIPr=:C{N(2,6‐iPr₂C₆H₃)}₂CH₂CH₂, 2 ) gave radicals [(IPr^Ar)]^. (Ar=Ph, 5 a ; 4‐DMP, 5 b ) and [(SIPr^Ar)]^. (Ar=Ph, 6 a ; 4‐Tol, 6 b ). Each of 5 a , b and 6 a , b exhibited a doublet EPR signal, a characteristic of monoradical species. The first solid‐state characterization of NHC‐derived carbon‐centered radicals 6 a , b by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction is reported. DFT calculations indicate that the unpaired electron is mainly located at the original carbene carbon atom and stabilized by partial delocalization over the adjacent aryl group.     

Less Is More: Three‐Coordinate C,N‐Chelated Distannynes and Digermynes

We report here the synthesis of new C,N‐chelated chlorostannylenes and germylenes L³MCl (M=Sn( 1 ), Ge ( 2 )) and L⁴MCl (M=Sn( 3 ), Ge ( 4 )) containing sterically demanding C,N‐chelating ligands L^{3, 4} (L³=[2,4‐di‐tBu‐6‐(Et₂NCH₂)C₆H₂]^?_; L⁴=[2,4‐di‐tBu‐6‐{(C₆H₃‐2′,6′‐iPr₂)N=CH}C₆H₂]^?). Reductions of 1 – 4 yielded three‐coordinate C,N‐chelated distannynes and digermynes [L^{3, 4}M ]₂ for the first time ( 5 : L³, M=Sn, 6 : L³, M=Ge, 7 : L⁴, M=Sn, 8 : L⁴, M=Ge). For comparison, the four‐coordinate distannyne [L⁵Sn]₂ ( 10 ) stabilized by N,C,N‐chelate L⁵ (L⁵=[2,6‐{(C₆H₃‐2′,6′‐Me₂)N?CH}₂C₆H₃]^?) was prepared by the reduction of chlorostannylene L⁵SnCl ( 9 ). Hence, we highlight the role of donor‐driven stabilization of tetrynes. Compounds 1 – 10 were characterized by means of elemental analysis, NMR spectroscopy, and in the case of 1 , 2 , 5 – 7 , and 10 , also by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. The bonding situation in either three‐ or four‐coordinate distannynes 5 , 7 , and 10 was evaluated by DFT calculations. DFT calculations were also used to compare the nature of the metal–metal bond in three‐coordinate C,N‐chelating distannyne [L³Sn]₂ ( 5 ) and related digermyme [L³Ge]₂ ( 6 ).