2-(1-(Arylimino)propyl)quinolin-8-olate half-titanocene dichlorides: synthesis, characterization and ethylene (co-)polymerization behaviour.

A series of 2-(1-(arylimino)propyl)quinolin-8-olate half-titanocene dichlorides, Cp'TiCl(2)L (Cp' = η(5)-C(5)H(5) or η(5)-C(5)Me(5), L = 2-(1-(2,6-R(1)-4-R(2)-phenylimino)propyl)quinolin-8-olate), was synthesized via the stoichiometric reaction of Cp'TiCl(3) with the corresponding potassium 2-(1-(2,6-R(1)-4-R(2)-phenylimino)propyl)quinolin-8-olate salt. All titanium compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR spectroscopy; the molecular structures of two representative compounds were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. On activation with methylaluminoxane (MAO), all half-titanocene compounds showed high activity in ethylene polymerization, and furthermore, performed with good to high activities in the co-polymerization of ethylene with either 1-hexene or 1-octene affording polyethylenes with high co-monomer incorporation. Less bulky ortho-substituents (R(1)) on the phenylimino groups were found to enhance the catalytic activities of their titanium compounds. In general, the titanium pro-catalysts containing η(5)-C(5)Me(5) (C7-C12) exhibited higher activities than did their analogues bearing η(5)-C(5)H(5) (C1-C6). Some of the resultant polyolefins were ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011