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Combined condensation and complexation of 2‐acetyl‐5,6,7‐trihydroquinolin‐8‐one, cobalt(II) chloride and the corresponding aniline has been employed as an effective one‐pot route to the 2‐(1‐(arylimino)ethyl)‐8‐arylimino‐5,6,7‐trihydroquinoline‐cobalt(II) chlorides (aryl=2‐Me‐4‐(CHPh2)‐6‐(C5H9)C6H2Co1, 2‐Me‐4‐(C5H9)‐6‐(CHPh2)C6H2Co2, 2‐(C5H9)‐4‐Me‐6‐(CHPh2)C6H2Co3, 2‐(C5H9)‐4,6‐(CHPh2)2C6H2Co4, 2‐(C6H11)‐4,6‐(CHPh2)2C6H2Co5, 2‐(C8H15)‐4,6‐(CHPh2)2C6H2Co6, 2‐F‐4,6‐(CHPh2)2C6H2Co7, 2‐Cl‐4,6‐(CHPh2)2C6H2Co8, 2‐Me‐4,6‐(CHPh2)2C6H2Co9). All complexes have been well characterized including by single crystal X‐ray diffraction for Co3. On activation with either MAO or MMAO, Co1 was the most active for ethylene polymerization with the MAO‐activated precatalyst reaching a peak level at 60 °C (up to 13.66×106 g (PE) mol−1(Co) h−1). By varying the electronic and steric properties of the ortho‐ and/or the para‐substituents of the N‐aryl groups, excellent control over molecular weight could be achieved with values falling in the range 0.97–101.63 kg mol−1 obtainable. Notably, with a benzhydryl group positioned on the ortho‐position of the N‐aryl group, a significant enhancement of the molecular weight was observed, while the least bulky ortho‐cyclopentyl substituent led to increased catalytic activity. As a final point, distinctive microstructural characteristics of the polyethylenes were observed with Co1/MAO producing near quantitative levels of vinyl end groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four examples of N,N-bis(aryl)butane-2,3-diimine–nickel(II) bromide complexes, [ArN=C(Me)-C(Me)=NAr]NiBr2 (where Ar = 2-(C5H9)-4,6-(CHPh2)2C6H2 (Ni1), Ar = 2-(C6H11)-4,6-(CHPh2)2C6H2 (Ni2), 2-(C8H15)-4,6-(CHPh2)2C6H2 (Ni3) and 2-(C12H23)-4,6-(CHPh2)2C6H2 (Ni4)), disparate in the ring size of the ortho-cycloalkyl substituents, were prepared using a straightforward one-pot synthetic method. The molecular structures of Ni2 and Ni4 highlight the variation in the steric hindrance of the ortho-cyclohexyl and -cyclododecyl rings exerted on the nickel center, respectively. By employing EtAlCl2, Et2AlCl or MAO as activators, Ni1–Ni4 displayed moderate to high activity as catalysts for ethylene polymerization, with levels falling in the order Ni2 (cyclohexyl) > Ni1 (cyclopentyl) > Ni4 (cyclododecyl) > Ni3 (cyclooctyl). Notably, cyclohexyl-containing Ni2/MAO reached a peak level of 13.2 × 106 g(PE) of (mol of Ni)−1 h−1 at 40 °C, yielding high-molecular-weight (ca. 1 million g mol−1) and highly branched polyethylene elastomers with generally narrow dispersity. The analysis of polyethylenes with 13C NMR spectroscopy revealed branching density between 73 and 104 per 1000 carbon atoms, with the run temperature and the nature of the aluminum activator being influential; selectivity for short-chain methyl branches (81.8% (EtAlCl2); 81.1% (Et2AlCl); 82.9% (MAO)) was a notable feature. The mechanical properties of these polyethylene samples measured at either 30 °C or 60 °C were also evaluated and confirmed that crystallinity (Xc) and molecular weight (Mw) were the main factors affecting tensile strength and strain at break (εb = 353–861%). In addition, the stress–strain recovery tests indicated that these polyethylenes possessed good elastic recovery (47.4–71.2%), properties that align with thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six structurally related bis(arylimino)trihydroquinolyl-cobalt (II) chloride complexes [2-(ArN CCH 3)-8-(ArN)-5,6,7-C 9 H 8 N]CoCl 2 (Ar = 2-(C 5 H 9)-6-MeC 6 H 3 Co1 , 2-(C 6 H 11)-6-MeC 6 H 3 Co2 , 2-(C 8 H 15)-6-MeC 6 H 3 Co3 , 2-(C 5 H 9)-4,6-Me 2 C 6 H 2 Co4 , 2-(C 6 H 11)-4,6-Me 2 C 6 H 2 Co5 , 2-(C 8 H 15)-4,6-Me 2 C 6 H 2 Co6), distinguishable by the ring size of the ortho -cycloalkyl substituent and type of para -R group, have been synthesized and characterized. A distorted square pyramidal geometry is a feature of the molecular structure of Co4 with the two ortho -cyclopentyl groups located on neighboring N -aryl groups trans -configured. Compounds Co1 – Co6 , on activation with methylaluminoxane (MAO) or modified MAO (MMAO), proved highly productive catalysts for ethylene polymerization at 60 °C [up to 17.1 × 106 g (PE) mol−1(Co) h−1 for cyclopentyl-containing Co4 /MAO]; even at 90 °C significant activity was attainable (up to 6.75 × 106 g (PE) mol−1(Co) h−1). Strictly linear polyethylene waxes of low molecular weight (ca. 1.50 kg mol−1), narrow dispersity (M w / M n range: 1.1–2.4) and incorporating high levels of vinyl end-groups were generated. Post-functionalization of these PE waxes by epoxidation, thiol-ene addition and cross-olefin metathesis to form e-PE, PE-S-CH 2 CH 2 NH 2 ·HCl and PE-MMA, respectively, has been demonstrated. For comparative purposes, [2-(ArN CCH 3)-8-ArN-5,6,7-C 9 H 8 N]CoCl 2 (Ar = 2,4,6-Me 3 C 6 H 2 Co o -Me , 2-(Ph 2 CH)-4,6-Me 2 C 6 H 2 Co o -CHPh2) have also been prepared and evaluated as polymerization catalysts. Image 1 • Cobalt ethylene polymerization catalysts capable of running at temperatures up to 90 °C. • ortho -Cycloalkyl ring-size variation allows fine control of catalytic performance. • PE waxes with narrow dispersities and high levels of vinyl end-groups are produced. • Amenability of the PE waxes to post-functionalization by epoxidation, thiol-ene addition and cross-olefin metathesis has been demonstrated. • Ready synthesis of catalysts and characteristic vinyl-polyethylenes offer industrial potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six types of ferrous chloride complex, [2‐(ArN=CMe)‐8‐(ArN)‐7,7‐Me2C9H6N]FeCl2 (Ar=2‐(C5H9)‐6‐MeC6H3Fe1, 2‐(C6H11)‐6‐MeC6H3Fe2, 2‐(C8H15)‐6‐MeC6H3Fe3, 2‐(C5H9)‐4,6‐Me2C6H2Fe4, 2‐(C6H11)‐4,6‐Me2C6H2Fe5, 2‐(C8H15)‐4,6‐Me2C6H2Fe6), each bearing a gem‐dimethyl‐substituted N,N,N‐chelating ligand that differs in the ortho‐cycloalkyl ring size and para‐substituent of the N‐aryl groups, are disclosed. All complexes have been prepared by a straightforward one‐flask route and characterized by FT‐IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. In the case of Fe1, oxidation to form the oxo‐bridged diferric species [2‐(2‐(C5H9)‐6‐MeC6H3N=CMe)‐8‐(2‐(C5H9)‐6‐MeC6H3N)‐7,7‐Me2C9H6N]FeCl(μ‐O)FeCl3 (Fe1') has been demonstrated and its structural identity confirmed by single crystal X‐ray diffraction. Following treatment with either methylaluminoxane (MAO) or modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO), Fe1–Fe6 exhibited optimal catalytic activities at 60°C for ethylene polymerization [up to 2.35 × 107 g of PE (mol of Fe)−1 h−1 for Fe1/MMAO] producing linear polyethylene; even over prolonged run times, high activities were maintained. Moreover, this family of iron catalysts exhibited remarkable thermostability by displaying appreciable activity at temperatures as high as 100°C [activity up to 7.8 × 106 g of PE (mol of Fe)−1 h−1]. By varying the ring size of the ortho‐cycloalkyl and para‐R2 group (R2 = H, Me), excellent control over molecular weight of the polyethylenes could be achieved with values in the range 1.4–67.8 kg mol−1 obtainable. In addition, end‐group analysis of the polymers generated with Fe/MAO or Fe/MMAO revealed that both β‐H elimination and chain transfer to aluminum are competitive processes during chain termination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six examples of newly synthesized α,α'‐bis (aryl)‐2,3:5,6‐bis (pentame thylene)pyridyliron complexes [2,3:5,6‐{C4H8C(NAr)}2C5HN]FeCl2 (Ar = 2‐(c‐C5H9)‐6‐MeC6H3Fe1, 2‐(c‐C6H11)‐6‐MeC6H3Fe2, 2‐(c‐C8H15)‐6‐MeC6H3Fe3, 2‐(c‐C5H9)‐4,6‐Me2C6H2Fe4, 2‐(c‐C6H11)‐4,6‐Me2C6H2Fe5, 2‐(c‐C8H15)‐4,6‐Me2C6H2Fe6; c refers as cyclic), on activation with methylalumoxane (MAO) or modified MAO (MMAO), exhibit high activities towards ethylene polymerization, producing strictly linear polyethylenes with terminal vinyl groups. The catalytic performances are systematically investigated along with various polymerization parameters as well as the microstructures of resultant polyethylenes. The steric hindrances of ortho‐cycloalkyl substituents of Nimino‐aryl groups significantly affect the activities of the corresponding iron precatalysts as well as the microstructures of resultant polyethylenes: higher steric hindrance the ortho‐cycloalkyl substituents, higher activity the iron precatalyst, lower molecular weight the resultant polyethylenes. Experimental observations are additionally supported by the computational study. The resultant polyethylenes exhibited excellent hydrophobicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four types of benzhydryl‐containing bis(arylimino)pyridine‐iron(II) chloride complex, [2‐{CMeN(2,4,6‐Me3C6H2)}‐6‐{CMeN(Ar)}C5H3N]FeCl2 (Ar=2,4‐(CHPh2)2‐6‐(C5H9)C6H2Fe1, 2,4‐(CHPh2)2‐6‐(C6H11)C6H2Fe2, 2,4‐(CHPh2)2‐6‐(C8H15)C6H2Fe3 and 2,4‐(CHPh2)2‐6‐(C12H23)C6H2Fe4), discriminable by the ring size of the ortho‐CnH2n−1 (n=5, 6, 8, 12) group, have been prepared in good yield (>85 %) via the reaction of the corresponding N,N,N′‐ligand, L1–L4, with ferrous chloride tetrahydrate. All new complexes were characterized by FT‐IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The molecular structure of Fe3 emphasizes the distorted pseudo‐square pyramidal geometry bestowed to the metal center and the steric unevenness provided by the inequivalent N‐mesityl and N‐2,4‐dibenzyhydryl‐6‐cyclooctylphenyl groups. Extremely high activities for ethylene polymerization were achieved at temperatures between 60 °C and 70 °C following pre‐treatment of the iron(II) precatalyst with either MMAO or MAO, with the relative performance being: Fe2>Fe1>Fe3>Fe4. Notably, ortho‐cyclohexyl Fe2, under activation with MMAO, afforded the highest level of performance of this study reaching 2.82×107 g PE per mol (Fe) per h at 70 °C forming strictly linear and narrowly dispersed polyethylene (Mw/Mn=2.0) with moderate molecular weight (11.3 kg per mol). Furthermore, runs performed using Fe1/MMAO at 90 °C saw the catalytic activity drop by around only 40 % highlighting the remarkable thermostability of these catalysts. By comparison, polymerizations performed using MAO as co‐catalyst were less controlled with broader dispersities (Mw/Mn range: 4.8–10.1), while the molecular weights were generally higher (55.7–150.9 kg per mol). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four unsymmetrical examples of bis(arylimino)pyridines that each possess an ortho‐cycloalkyl substituent of unique ring size, 2‐{CMeN(2,4,6‐Me3C6H2)}‐6‐{CMeN(2,4‐(CHPh2)2‐6‐RC6H2)}C5H3N (R = cyclopentyl L1, cyclohexyl L2, cyclooctyl L3, cyclododecyl L4), have been prepared and employed as reactants in the formation of the corresponding cobaltous chloride complexes, (N,N,N′)CoCl2 (Co1–Co4). Structural characterization of Co2 and Co3 spotlights the five‐coordinate geometry and the steric disparity imposed on the metal center by the inequivalent N‐mesityl and N‐2,4‐dibenzyhydryl‐6‐cycloalkylphenyl groups. Co1–Co4 all proved productive precatalysts for ethylene polymerization achieving optimal performance at a temperature of 60°C on activation with either MAO or MMAO. Cyclopentyl‐containing Co1 displayed the highest level (up to 10.3 × 106 g PE per mol [Co] per h), whereas its cyclododecyl counterpart Co4 the lowest (down to 0.14 × 106 g PE per mol [Co] per h). Strictly linear polyethylenes were produced with molecular weights spanning the range 22.0–36.0 kg per mol for Co1–Co4/MAO and 22.6–33.6 kg per mol for Co1–Co4/MMAO, with cyclohexyl Co2 producing the highest values with either activator. With the exception of the polymer produced using Co4, all catalysts afforded narrow unimodal distributions (Mw/Mn range: 1.7–2.2) for the polyethylenes in line with single site active species. By contrast, Co4 bearing the largest and conformationally flexible cycloalkyl group formed polyethylenes that were distinctly bimodal, which would imply the presence of two active species. End‐group analysis of lower molecular weight polymer samples identified vinyl groups congruent with a termination step involving β‐H elimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single‐pot method has been utilized to prepare the bis(cycloheptyl)fused N,N,N‐cobalt (II) chloride complexes, [2,3:5,6‐{C4H8C(NAr)}2C5H3N]CoCl2 (Ar = 2,6‐(C5H9)2–4‐(CHPh2)C6H2Co1, 2‐(C5H9)‐4,6‐(CHPh2)2C6H2Co2, 2‐(C6H11)‐4,6‐(CHPh2)2C6H2Co3, 2‐(C8H15)‐4,6‐(CHPh2)2C6H2Co4, 2‐(C12H23)‐4,6‐(CHPh2)2C6H2Co5) in reasonable yields. The molecular structure of Co1 highlights not only the steric shielding of the metal center provided by the N‐2,6‐dicyclopentyl‐4‐benzhydrylphenyl groups but also the trans‐configuration of the puckered sections of the two fused seven‐membered rings. Besides this structural characterization, all complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) spectroscopy. In the presence of modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO) or methylaluminoxane (MAO), Co1–Co5 afforded highly linear polyethylenes (Tm′s > 126°C) with dispersities that were influenced by the type of aluminoxane activator [Mw/Mn range: 1.53–1.81 (MMAO) vs. 8.96–15.5 (MAO)]. In common to both co‐catalysts, the catalytic activity of the precatalysts fell in the order: Co1 > Co2 > Co5 > Co4 ~ Co3, reflecting the differences in steric/electronic properties of the ortho‐cycloalkyl substituents. In terms of thermostability of the catalyst, Co1/MMAO attained optimal performance at 30°C (2.04 × 106 g PE mol−1[Co] h−1), while Co1/MAO reached it at 60°C albeit with lower productivity (0.70 × 106 g PE mol−1[Co] h−1). In general, the polyethylenes were of reasonably high molecular weight (e.g., between 39.9 and 65.8 kg mol−1 using MMAO) which can be linked to the steric hindrance imposed on chain transfer by the cycloalkyl and benzhydryl ortho‐substituents. Points: Cobalt (II) complexes bearing α,α'‐bis (imino)‐2,3:5,6‐bis (pentamethylene)pyridines appended with ortho‐cycloalkyl groups.A straightforward single‐pot template approach for complex synthesis.High activity and appreciable thermal stability for ethylene polymerization.Formation of highly linear polyethylenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A one-pot template strategy has been utilized to synthesize sterically enhanced bis(imino)cyclohepta[b]pyridine-cobalt(II) chlorides, [2-{(Ar)N＝CMe}-9-{N(Ar)}C10H10N]CoCl2 (Ar = 2-(C5H9)-4,6-(CHPh2)2C6H2Co1, 2-(C6H11)-4,6-(CHPh2)2C6H2Co2, 2-(C8H15)-4,6-(CHPh2)2C6H2Co3, 2-(C12H23)-4,6-(CHPh2)2C6H2Co4, 2,6-(C5H9)2-4-(CHPh2)C6H2Co5). All five complexes have been characterized by a combination of FT-IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The molecular structures of Co1, Co3 and Co5 highlight the substantial steric hindrance imparted by the 2-cycloalkyl-6-benzhydryl or 2,6-dicyclopentyl ortho-substitution pattern; distorted square pyramidal geometries are exhibited in each case. On activation with methylaluminoxane (MAO) or modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO), all the complexes (apart from Co4/MAO) were active ethylene polymerization catalysts (up to 3.70 × 106 g PE per mol (Co) per h for Co5/MMAO), operating effectively at temperatures between 50 °C and 60 °C, producing polyethylenes with high molecular weights (up to 589.5 kg mol−1 for Co3/MAO). Furthermore, all polymers were highly linear (Tm > 130 °C) with narrow dispersities (Mw/Mn range: 2.0–3.0). The coexistence of two chain termination pathways, β-H elimination and transfer to aluminum, has been demonstrated using 13C/1H NMR spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The syntheses of six bis(imino)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrocycloheptapyridine-iron(II) chloride complexes, [2-{(Ar)NCMe}-9-{N(Ar)}C10H10N]FeCl2 (Ar = 2-(C5H9)-6-MeC6H3Fe1, 2-(C6H11)-6-MeC6H3Fe2, 2-(C8H15)-6-MeC6H3Fe3, 2-(C5H9)-4,6-Me2C6H2Fe4, 2-(C6H11)-4,6-Me2C6H2Fe5, 2-(C8H15)-4,6-Me2C6H3Fe6), are reported in which the ring size of the ortho-cycloalkyl group has been varied as has the type of para-substituent. The molecular structures of Fe3 and Fe6 reveal square pyramidal geometries at iron while the ortho-cyclooctyl rings adopt boat-chair conformations. On treatment with either methylaluminoxane (MAO) or modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO), all six complexes showed optimal activities at 80 °C [up to 1.9 × 107 g of PE per mol Fe per h for Fe5/MMAO] for ethylene polymerization forming linear polyethylene (Tm's > 126 °C). Notably, the catalytic activities showed a marked correlation with the ring size of the ortho-cycloalkyl substituent: cyclohexyl (Fe2 and Fe5) > cyclooctyl (Fe3 and Fe6) > cyclopentyl (Fe1 and Fe4) for either para-substituent, H or Me. Furthermore, this family of iron catalysts exhibited remarkable thermostability by remaining highly active even at temperatures as high as 100 °C (1.1 × 107 g of PE per mol Fe per h); the wide variation in polymer molecular weights (Mw: 2.4–166 kg mol−1), influenced through choice of precatalyst and co-catalyst as well as by temperature and pressure, further highlights the versatility of these catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six examples of α,α′-bis(arylimino)-2,3:5,6-bis(pentamethylene)pyridine-cobalt(II) chlorides, [2,3:5,6-{C 4 H 8 C(NAr)} 2 C 5 HN]CoCl 2 (Ar = 2-(C 5 H 9 )-6-MeC 6 H 3 Co1 , 2-(C 6 H 11 )-6-MeC 6 H 3 Co2 , 2-(C 8 H 15 )-6-MeC 6 H 3 Co3 , 2-(C 5 H 9 )-4,6-Me 2 C 6 H 2 Co4 , 2-(C 6 H 11 )-4,6-Me 2 C 6 H 2 Co5 , 2-(C 8 H 15 )-4,6-Me 2 C 6 H 2 Co6 ), containing N-aryl groups that differ in either the ring size of the ortho -cycloalkyl substituents or the para -R group (R = H, Me), have been synthesized using a one-pot template approach. The molecular structure of Co1 highlights the ring puckering of both the ortho -cyclopentyl substituents and the two pyridine-fused seven-membered rings; a square-based pyramidal geometry is conferred about the metal center. On activation with either methylaluminoxane (MAO) or modified MAO (MMAO), all six complexes afforded strictly linear polyethylene (all T m 's > 130 °C) with high molecular weight ( M w up to 64.3 kg mol −1 ). Furthermore, all precatalysts displayed high activities (up to 2 × 10 6  g PE mol -1 (Co) h −1 ) at temperatures between 20 and 60 °C with the catalytic activities correlating with the type of ortho -cycloalkyl substituent: cyclohexyl ( Co2 , Co5 ) > cyclopentyl ( Co1 , Co4 ) > cyclooctyl ( Co6 , Co3 ) for either R = H or Me. The narrow unimodal distributions of the resulting polymers are consistent with single-site active species for the catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A family of six unsymmetrical N,N′-diiminoacenaphthene-nickel(ii) bromide complexes, [1-{2,6-(Ph2CH)2-4-MeC6H2N}-2-(ArN)C2C10H6]NiBr2 (Ar = 2-(C6H11)-6-MeC6H2Ni1, 2-(C5H9)-6-MeC6H2Ni2, 2-(C8H15)-6-MeC6H2Ni3, 2-(C6H11)-4,6-Me2C6H2Ni4, 2-(C5H9)-4,6-Me2C6H2Ni5, 2-(C8H15)-4,6-Me2C6H2Ni6), each bearing one ring-size variable 4-R-2-methyl-6-cycloalkyl-substituted N-aryl group and one N′-4-methyl-2,6-dibenzhydrylphenyl group, have been prepared and fully characterized. The molecular structures of Ni1, Ni2, Ni3 and Ni5 reveal distorted tetrahedral geometries with different degrees of steric protection imparted by the two inequivalent N-aryl groups. On activation with either EASC or MMAO, all the precatalysts are highly active (up to 17.45 × 106 g PE mol−1 (Ni) h−1) for ethylene polymerization at 20–50 °C with their activities correlating with the type of cycloalkyl ortho-substituent: cyclooctyl (Ni6, Ni3) ＞ the cyclopentyl (Ni5, Ni2) ＞ cyclohexyl (Ni4, Ni1) for either R = H or Me. Moderately branched to hyperbranched polyethylenes (Tm's as low as 44.2 °C) can be obtained with molecular weights in the range 2.14–6.68 × 105 g mol−1 with the branching content enhanced by the temperature of the polymerization. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and monotonic tensile stress–strain tests have been employed on the polyethylene samples and reveal the more branched materials to show good elastic recovery properties (up to 75.5%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism of ethylene polymerization on phenoxy-imine (FI) titanium catalysts was studied theoretically to identify the major factors affecting the catalytic activity. Geometry optimizations of FI ligands, octahedral titanium dichloride complexes, active cationic species, and their π ‐complexes with ethylene as well as calculations of the energy profile of chain propagation were performed at the BP86-D3 level. We found that the calculated energy gaps between frontier orbitals (HOMO and LUMO) in the active cations of the catalysts correlate with the experimental activity values. High activities of FI catalysts with α‐Cumyl groups were attributed to smaller HOMO-LUMO gaps due to hyperconjugation between π -systems of α‐Cumyl and ( N ‐aryl)salicylaldimine moieties in the active cations. The correlation provides a qualitative estimate of the catalytic activity for further design of new FI titanium complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five examples of bis(arylimino)tetrahydrocyclohepta[b]pyridine dichloroiron(II) complex, [2-{(Ar)N=CMe}-9-{N(Ar)}C10H10N]FeCl2 (Ar = 2-(C5H9)-4,6-(CHPh2)2C6H2Fe1, 2-(C6H11)-4,6-(CHPh2)2C6H2Fe2, 2-(C8H15)-4,6-(CHPh2)2C6H2Fe3, 2-(C12H23)-4,6-(CHPh2)2C6H2Fe4, and 2,6-(C5H9)2-4-(CHPh2)C6H2Fe5), incorporating ortho-pairings based on either benzhydryl/cycloalkyl (ring sizes ranging from 5 to 12) or cyclopentyl/cyclopentyl groups, have been prepared in reasonable yield by employing a simple one-pot template strategy. Each complex was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and for Fe3 and Fe5 by single crystal X-ray diffraction; pseudo-square pyramidal geometries are a feature of their coordination spheres. On treatment of Fe1–Fe5 with modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO) or methylaluminoxane (MAO), a range in catalytic activities for ethylene polymerization were observed with benzhydryl/cyclopentyl-containing Fe1/MMAO achieving the maximum level of 15.3 × 106 g PE mol−1 (Fe) h−1 at an operating temperature of 70 °C. As a key trend, the activity was found to drop as the ortho-cycloalkyl ring size increased: Fe1C5H9/CHPh2~Fe5C5H9/C5H9 > Fe2C6H11/CHPh2 > Fe3C8H15/CHPh2 > Fe4C12H23/CHPh2. Furthermore, strictly linear polyethylenes (Tm > 126 °C) were formed with molecular weights again dependent on the ortho-cycloalkyl ring size (up to 55.6 kg mol−1 for Fe1/MAO); narrow dispersities were a characteristic of all the polymers (Mw/Mn range: 2.3–4.7), highlighting the well-controlled nature of these polymerizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six examples of 2-(1-arylimino)ethyl-9-arylimino-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrocycloheptapyridine-cobalt(II) chloride complexes, [2-(1-ArN)C2H3-9-ArN-5,6,7,8-C5H8C5H3N]CoCl2, (Ar = 2-(C5H9)-6-MeC6H3Co1, 2-(C6H11)-6-MeC6H3Co2, 2-(C8H15)-6-MeC6H3Co3, 2-(C5H9)-4,6-Me2C6H2Co4, 2-(C6H11)-4,6-Me2C6H2Co5, and 2-(C8H15)-4,6-Me2C6H2Co6), were synthesized by the direct reaction of the corresponding ortho-cycloalkyl substituted carbocyclic-fused bis(arylimino)pyridines (L1–L6) and cobalt(II) chloride in ethanol with good yields. All the synthesized ligands (L1–L6) and their corresponding cobalt complexes (Co1–Co6) were fully characterized by FT-IR, 1H/13C-NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The crystal structure of Co2 and Co3 revealed that the ring puckering of both the ortho-cyclohexyl/cyclooctyl substituents and the one pyridine-fused seven-membered ring; a square-based pyramidal geometry is conferred around the metal center. On treatment with either methylaluminoxane (MAO) or modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO), all the six complexes showed high activities (up to 4.09 × 106 g of PE mol−1 (Co) h−1) toward ethylene polymerization at temperatures between 20 °C and 70 °C with the catalytic activities correlating with the type of ortho-cycloalkyl substituent: Cyclopentyl (Co1 and Co4) > cyclohexyl (Co2 and Co5) > cyclooctyl (Co3 and Co6) for either R = H or Me and afforded strictly linear polyethylene (Tm > 130 °C). The narrow unimodal distributions of the resulting polymers are consistent with single-site active species for the precatalyst. Furthermore, compared to the previously reported cobalt analogues, the titled precatalysts exhibited good thermo-stability (up to 70 °C) and possessed longer lifetime along with a higher molecular weight of PE (Mw: 9.2~25.3 kg mol−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]