Acetamidine complexes as catalysts for ethylene polymerization

The reaction of (2,6-diisopropyl-phenyl)-acetimidoyl chloride or (2,6-dimethyl-phenyl)-acetimidoyl chloride with 2,6-dimethylaniline in the presence of triethylamine yields a mixture of isomers N′-(2,6-diisopropyl-phenyl)-N-[1-(2,6-diisopropyl-phenylimino)-ethyl]-N-(2,6-dimethyl)-acetamidine (1a) and N-(2,6-diisopropyl-phenyl)-N-[1-(2,6-diisopropyl-phenylimino)-ethyl]-N′-(2,6-dimethyl)-acetamidine (1b), and N,N′-bis-(2,6-dimethyl-phenyl)-N-[1-(2,6-dimethyl-phenylimino)ethyl)]-acetamidine (2), respectively. The addition of isomers (1a + 1b) to nickel (II) dibromide 2-methoxyethyl ether, (NiBr2[O(C2H4OMe)2]) gives a mixture of new nickel complexes, [NiBr2{N′-(2,6-diisopropyl-phenyl)-N-[1-(2,6-diisopropyl-phenylimino)-ethyl]-N-(2,6-dimethyl)-acetamidine}] (3a) and [NiBr2{N-(2,6-diisopropyl-phenyl)-N-[1-(2,6-diisopropyl-phenylimino)-ethyl]-N′-(2,6-dimethyl)-acetamidine}] (3b). Similarly, ligand 2 reacts with nickel (II) dibromide 2-methoxyethyl ether to afford the complex [NiBr2{N,N´-bis-(2,6-dimethyl-phenyl)-N-[1-(2,6-dimethyl-phenylimino)ethyl)]-acetamidine}] (4). The structures of the ligands and nickel complexes have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The addition of MAO to these complexes generates catalytically active species for the homopolymerization of ethylene. The polymer products are high molecular weight (80–169 K). At temperatures of up to 60 °C both catalysts are a single site giving a monomodal molecular weight distribution. However, at 70 °C the mixture (3a + 3b) shows a bimodal molecular weight distribution.