Sc(III) complexes with neutral N3- and SNS-donor ligands--a spectroscopic study of the activation of ethene polymerisation catalysts.

Scandium trichloride complexes with tridentate N(3)- and S(2)N-donor ligands (L(3)) have been synthesised and characterised by IR, (1)H, (13)C{(1)H} and (45)Sc NMR spectroscopy, microanalysis, and solid state and solution XAFS spectroscopy. Catalytic testing of a subset of these complexes with ethene has been undertaken in chlorobenzene with MMAO-3A and PMAO-IP at 60 °C and 40 bar ethene, giving low activity ethene polymerisation. The reactions of these complexes with MeLi and AlMe(3) were studied by (1)H, (13)C{(1)H}, (27)Al and (45)Sc NMR spectroscopy and in situ via Sc K-edge XAFS spectroscopy. Three or four mol. equivalents of MeLi react with [ScCl(3)(Me(3)-tacn)] in THF solution to form [ScMe(3)(Me(3)-tacn)] cleanly, while complexes of type [ScCl(3)(R-SNS)] {R-SNS = HN(CH(2)CH(2)SC(10)H(21))(2)} form two different species proposed to be [ScMe(3)(R-SN(Li)S)] and [ScMe(2)(R-SN(-)S)]. In contrast, in situ(45)Sc NMR and Sc K-edge XAFS spectroscopic studies of the reaction of [ScCl(3)(Me(3)-tacn)] with 10 mol. equivalents of AlMe(3) strongly suggest that alkylation at the Sc(III) centre does not occur, instead retaining the Cl(3)N(3) coordination environment and most likely forming Sc-Cl-AlMe(3) bridging interactions. Similar studies on [ScCl(3)(decyl-SNS)] with 10 mol. equivalents of AlMe(3) are also consistent with this, indicating that alkylation at the Sc centre does not occur except in the presence of co-catalyst [Ph(3)C][Al{OC(CF(3))(3)}(4)] and the α-alkene, hex-1-ene.