PCNCP Ligands in the Chromium-Catalyzed Oligomerization of Ethylene: Tri- versus Tetramerization

✍ Scribed by Christian Klemps; Elina Payet; Lionel Magna; Lucien Saussine; Xavier F. Le Goff; Pascal Le Floch

• Book ID: 101839830
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 434 KB
• Volume: 15
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0947-6539
• DOI: 10.1002/chem.200900986

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Chromium(III) complexes bearing R′N(CH~2~PR~2~)~2~ (PCNCP) ligands have been prepared. Upon activation with methylaluminoxane, these complexes proved to be effective in the selective tri‐ and tetramerization of ethylene. The formation of either 1‐hexene or 1‐octene was found to be highly dependent on the steric bulk of the substituents R on the phosphine moieties. This observation was rationalized by using density functional theory calculations on selected steps of the metallacyclic mechanism of the ethylene oligomerization reaction.