Strictly linear polyethylene using Co-catalysts chelated by fused bis(arylimino)pyridines: Probing ortho-cycloalkyl ring-size effects on molecular weight

Six examples of α,α′-bis(arylimino)-2,3:5,6-bis(pentamethylene)pyridine-cobalt(II) chlorides, [2,3:5,6-{C4H8C(NAr)}2C5HN]CoCl2 (Ar = 2-(C5H9)-6-MeC6H3Co1, 2-(C6H11)-6-MeC6H3Co2, 2-(C8H15)-6-MeC6H3Co3, 2-(C5H9)-4,6-Me2C6H2Co4, 2-(C6H11)-4,6-Me2C6H2Co5, 2-(C8H15)-4,6-Me2C6H2Co6), 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 Tm's > 130 °C) with high molecular weight (Mw up to 64.3 kg mol−1). Furthermore, all precatalysts displayed high activities (up to 2 × 106 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.