ansa-metallocene derivatives XXXIII. 2-Dimethylamino-substituted bis-indenyl zirconium dichloride complexes with and without a dimethylsilyl bridge : syntheses, crystal structures and properties in propene polymerization catalysis

Abstract

Bis(2-N,N-dimethylamino-indenyl) zirconium dichloride, (2-(CH3)2N-C9H6)2ZrCl2, and dimethylsilyl-bridged bis(2-N,N-dimethylamino-indenyl) zirconium dichloride, (CH3)2Si(2-(CH3)2N-C9H5)2ZrCl2, were prepared by reaction of the corresponding ligand lithium salts with ZrCl4 in toluene. Diffractometric structure determinations reveal C2-symmetric complex geometries for both complexes. An increased electron density at the Zr center of the dimethylamino-substituted complexes is indicated by reduction potentials which are 0.3–0.4 V more negative than those of their unsubstituted analogs. When activated with methyl aluminoxane in toluene solution, (CH3)2Si(2-(CH3)2N-C9H5)2ZrCl2 catalyzes the polymerization of propene to polymers with a microstructure comparable with that of polymers produced with other Me2Si-bridged bis(indenyl)ZrCl2 complexes, but with a substantially increased fraction of i-propyl end groups derived from alkyl exchange between Zr-polymer and AlMe species.