Phenoxide and alkoxide complexes of Mg,Al and Zn,and their use for the ring‐opening polymerization of ϵ‐caprolactone with initiators of different natures

A new packing polymorph of bis(2,6‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐methylphenolato‐κO)bis(tetrahydrofuran‐κO)magnesium, Mg(C₁₅H₂₃O)₂(C₄H₈O)₂] or Mg(BHT)₂(THF)₂, (BHT is the 2,6‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐methylphenoxide anion and THF is tetrahydrofuran), ( 1 ), has the same space group (P2₁) as the previously reported modification Nifant'ev et al. (2017d). Dalton Trans. 46 , 12132–12146], but contains three crystallographically independent molecules instead of one. The structure of ( 1 ) exhibits rotational disorder of the tert‐butyl groups and positional disorder of a THF ligand. The complex of bis(2,6‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐methylphenolato‐κO)bis(μ₂‐ethyl glycolato‐κ²O,O′:κO)dimethyldialuminium, Al₂(CH₃)₂(C₄H₇O₃)₂(C₁₅H₂₃O)₂] or (BHT)AlMe(OCH₂COOEt)]₂, ( 2 ), is a dimer located on an inversion centre and has an Al₂O₂ rhomboid core. The 2‐ethoxy‐2‐oxoethanolate ligand (OCH₂COOEt) displays a μ₂‐κ²O,O′:κO semi‐bridging coordination mode, forming a five‐membered heteronuclear Al–O–C–C–O ring. The same ligand exhibits positional disorder of the terminal methyl group. The redetermined structure of the heptanuclear complex octakis(μ₃‐benzyloxo‐κO:κO:κO)hexaethylheptazinc, Zn₇(C₂H₅)₆(C₇H₇O)₈] or Zn₇(OCH₂Ph)₈Et₆], ( 3 ), possesses a bicubic Zn₇O₈ core located at an inversion centre and demonstrates positional disorder of one crystallographically independent phenyl group. Cambridge Structural Database surveys are given for complexes structurally analogous to ( 2 ) and ( 3 ). Complexes ( 2 ) and ( 3 ), as well as derivatives of ( 1 ), are of interest as catalysts for the ring‐opening polymerization of ?‐caprolactone, and polymerization results are reported.