Synthesis and ROMP activity of aminophenol-substituted tungsten(VI) and molybdenum(VI) complexes

Tungsten(VI) and molybdenum(VI) complexes [MO(L1)Cl2] and [M(X)(L2)Cl3] (X = O, NPh) with tridentate aminobis(phenolate) ligand L1 = methylamino-N,N-bis(2-methylene-4,6-dimethylphenolate) and bidentate aminophenolate ligand L2 = 2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-((dimethylamino)methyl)phenolate) were prepared and characterised. These complexes are principally stable in open atmosphere under ambient conditions. When activated with Et2AlCl, they exhibited high activity in ring-opening metathesis polymerisation (ROMP) of 2-norbornene (NBE) and its derivatives. Especially complexes [M(NPh)(L2)Cl3], which are easily available from corresponding metal oxides MO3 by a simple three-step synthesis, were found very efficient ROMP catalysts for NBE (M = Mo, W) and 2-norbornen-5-yl acetate (M = Mo).