Well‐Defined Cationic Methallyl α‐Keto‐β‐Diimine Complexes of Nickel

Complex considerations: The synthesis and characterization of a discrete cationic nickel–methallyl complex (see structure: Ni green, N blue, O red) provided insight into the propagating sites generated by using α-keto-β-diimine–nickel olefin-polymerization catalysts. The addition of Al(C6F5)3 led to carbonyl coordination to aluminum, further depletion of the electron density at the nickel center, and a substantial increase in reactivity towards ethylene.