Synthesis, structural characterisation of new oligomeric alkyl aluminium (2,2′-methylene-p-chloro-bisphenoxides) and application as catalysts in polymerisation reactions involving cyclohexene oxide

The synthesis, spectroscopic characterisation and X-ray structure determination of the first aluminium para-chloro-bisphenoxides [Al2(mbpcp)2(C2H5)2(THF)2] and [Al3(mbpcp)2(C2H5)5] (mbpcp = 2,2′-methylenebis(4-chlorophenol) are reported. 2,2′-Methylenebis(4-chlorophenol) was reacted with triethyl aluminium to yield under liberation of ethane, aluminium para-chloro-2,2′-methylene-bisphenoxides with different molecular complexities: a dinuclear and a trinuclear specie, both displaying two bridging bisphenoxide ligands. The nature of the solvent (coordinating or not) influences the aggregation degree of the final product. The use of a coordinating solvent like THF yields a dimeric structure with a bisphenol:metal ratio of 1 to 1 which displays a trigonal-bipyramidal coordination geometry around the aluminium atoms whereas using an apolar, weak-coordinating solvent like diethyl ether yields a trinuclear species with a bisphenol:metal ratio of 2 to 3, displaying aluminium atoms with both tetrahedral and trigonal-bipyramidal coordination geometries. These compounds were tested in preliminary screening tests as catalysts of the homopolymerisation of cyclohexene oxide (CHO) and copolymerisation of CHO with carbon dioxide. Both aluminium bisphenoxides are highly active in the ring opening polymerisation of CHO (RT, reaction time <5 min, Mn ranging from 31 000 to 40 700 g/mol, polydispersities from 1.2 to 1.4). Both compound are also active in the copolymerisation of CHO with CO2 although the carbonate amount remains low (75 bar, 90 °C, reaction time 8 h, Mn ranging from 6800 to 15 200 g/mol, polydispersities from 1.9 to 2.5).