Half-sandwich cyclopentadienyl rhodium complexes bearing pendant sulfur or oxygen ligands and their catalytic behaviors in ethylene polymerization

Two half-sandwich rhodium complexes with sulfur or oxygen functionalized cyclopentadienyl ligands [η5-C5H4(CH2)2SCH2CH3]RhI23, {[η5-C5H4(CH2)2OCH3]RhI2}24 have been synthesized and characterized by IR, 1H-NMR spectra and Elemental analyses. The molecular structures of complexes 3 and 4 have been determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Complexes 3, 4 with a pendent arm on cyclopentadienyl ligand have been tested as catalysts for ethylene and norbornene polymerization in the presence of MAO. Complexes 3 and 4 kept high activities of ca. 106 g PE mol−1 Rh h−1 with morderate molecular weight (Mw ≈ 105 g mol−1) of polyethylene in the ethylene polymerization. Catalytic activities, molecular weights of polyethylene have been investigated under the various reaction conditions.