Synthesis, structure, magnetic and catalytic properties of new dinuclear chromium(III) complexes with oxazoline alcoholate ligands.

The dinuclear chromium complexes [Cr(2)(N,O)(3)Cl(3)] (6) (N,O = 4,4-dimethyl-2-oxazolylmethanolate), [Cr(2)(N,O(Me2))(2)(EtOH)(2)Cl(4)] (7) and [Cr(2)(N,O(Me2))(2)(H(2)O)(2)Cl(4)] (8) (N,O(Me2) = 4,4-dimethyl-2-oxazolyldimethylmethanolate) have been prepared and characterized, including by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Complex 6 is unsymmetrical, with two chloride ligands terminally bound to one Cr atom, whereas 7 and 8 (in 8 x C(4)H(8)O) which contain two molecules of coordinated ethanol or water, respectively, are centrosymmetric. These chromium complexes are paramagnetic, and the magnetic properties of 6 and 7 in the solid state correspond to antiferromagnetic behaviour, which was confirmed by DFT calculations of their electronic structures. Complexes 6-8 were evaluated in the catalytic oligomerization and/or polymerization of ethylene with different aluminium-based cocatalysts, and MMAO proved to be the most effective one. In the presence of MMAO, the influence of different reaction parameters, such as the Al/Cr molar ratio, reaction temperature and ethylene pressure, was investigated. Complex 7 showed the highest activity for ethylene polymerization at both 1 atm and 10 atm of ethylene pressure, up to 620 000 g mol(-1)(Cr) h(-1) in the latter case.