Zirconium−Benzyl Complexes of a Tridentate C₂-Symmetric Dialkoxo Ligand. Diastereoselectivity of Olefin Single-Insertion Reactions

Complexes such as Zr(BMP)(CH 2 Ph)[(η 6 -PhCH 2 )B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 ] (BMP 2 - = 2,6-bis[(1 S,2 S,5 R )-(−)-menthoxo]pyridyl) were synthesized and shown to undergo single insertion of ethylene into their Zr−carbon bonds to yield, for example, Zr(BMP)(CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 Ph)][(η 6 -PhCH 2 )B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 ], whereas α-olefins and cyclooctadiene afford diastereomeric mixtures of the general formula [Zr(BMP)(η 1:η 6 -CHRCHR‘CH 2 Ph)] + [B(CH 2 Ph)(C 6 F 5 ) 3 ] - .