Monometallic nickel(II) complexes containing N,N′-iminopyridine chelating ligands with dendritic substituents: The influence of dendrimer topology on the catalytic oligomerization and polymerization of ethylene

Iminopyridine ligands of general formula Gn-PBE-ONN (Gn-PBE = Fréchet-type dendritic wedges of generation G0 (1), G1 (2), G2 (3), and G3 (4); –ONN = -O-4-(2,5-Me2C6H2)-NCH-2-py) have been prepared starting from H-ONN. Reaction of these bidentate ligands with [NiBr2(DME)] results in the nickel(II) complexes [NiBr2(Gn-PBE-ONN)] (5–8). The methylaluminoxane (MAO)-activated monometallic complexes have been studied in the transformation of ethylene into mixtures of polyethylene and oily oligomers, and their catalytic performance scrutinized as a function of dendritic size. A comparison with the behavior observed for related polymetallic dendrimers has enabled the dendritic features that affect various catalytic parameters to be determined. Thus, it has been possible to discern whether the dendritic effect detected in the catalysis should be ascribed to the metallic nuclearity rather than the bulkiness of the metallodendrimer.