Early Transition Metal Complexes Bearing a C-Capped Tris(phenolate) Ligand Incorporating a Pendant Imine Arm: Synthesis, Structure, and Ethylene Polymerization Behavior

The ligand 3-[2,2'-methylenebis(4,6-di- tert-butylphenol)-5- tert-butylsalicylidene-(2,6-diisopropyl)phenylimine] (L(1)H 3) was reacted with MCl 4 (M = Ti, Zr) or MCl 5 (M = Nb, Ta) to give complexes of the type [MCl 2(L(1)H 2) 2] (M = Ti (1); Zr (2)), [NbCl 3( L (1)H)] (3), or [TaCl 4(L(1)H 2)] (4), respectively. Single crystal X-ray diffraction of 1- 4 revealed common "iminium" species resulting in zwitterionic complexes. Reaction of [V(N p-tol)(O n-Pr) 3] with L (1)H3 afforded [{(VN p-tol)(L(1)H)} 2(mu-O n-Pr)2] (5), and a second complex [(VO) 2(mu-O)(L(3)H) 2] (6)(L(3)H being derived from 3-[2,2'-methylenebis(4,6-di-tert-butylphenol)-5-tert-butylsalicylidene- p-tolylimine]). The condensation reaction between 3-[2,2'-methylenebis(4,6-di-tert-butylphenol)-5-tert-butyl-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde] (L(0)H 3) and o-phenylenediamine (1,2-diaminobenzene) afforded two products: a pseudo-16-membered hydrogen bonded macrocyclic structure {1,2-bis-3-[2,2'-methylenebis(4,6-di-tert-butylphenol)-5-tert-butylsalicylidene-benzyldiimine]} (L(5)H6), or the benzimidazolyl bearing ligand (L(6)H 3). The reaction of L (5)H6 or L(6)H 3 with [VO(O n-Pr) 3] under varying conditions produced the complexes [(VO)(L(5)H 4)] (7), [(VO) 2(L(5)H)] (8), or [VO(L(6)H 2) 2] (9). L (0)H 3 was reacted with a number of anilines to give the proligands {3-[2,2'-methylenebis(4,6-di- tert-butylphenol)-5-tert-butylsalicylidene-R-imine]}, where R = NC 6H 5 (L(2)H3), NC 6H 4-Me (L(3)H 3), and NC 6H 2-Me 3 (L(4)H 3). Reactions of these ligands with [VO(O n-Pr) 3] formed bischelating complexes of the form [(VO)(L(2-4)H 2)2] (10, 11, and 12, respectively). The reaction of L (1)H 3 with trimethylaluminum led to a bis-aluminum complex {(AlMe 2)[AlMe(NCMe)] L (1)} (13). The ability of complexes 1-12 to polymerize ethylene in the presence of an organoaluminum cocatalyst was investigated. Procatalysts 1 and 2 were found to produce negligible activities in the presence of dimethylaluminum chloride (DMAC) and the reactivator ethyltrichloroacetate (ETA), whereas 3 and 4 were found to be completely inactive for polymerization using a variety of different organoaluminum cocatalysts. Using the combination of DMAC and ETA, complexes 5-12 were found to be highly active catalysts; in all cases, the polymer formed was of high molecular weight linear polyethylene.