Living ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone catalyzed by β-quinolyl-enamino aluminium complexes: ligand electronic effects.

A series of β-quinolyl-enamino aluminium complexes [AlLMe] 1-7 {L = [(2-CHN)-CH[double bond, length as m-dash]C(4-MeCH)-N(Ar)-], Ar = CH (1), 4-FCH (2), 3,4,5-FCH (3), CF (4), 5-BuCH (5), 2,6-MeCH (6), and 2,6-PrCH (7)} were synthesized by the reaction of AlMe with the corresponding β-quinolyl-enamine ligands. All the complexes were characterized by H and C NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The molecular structures of complexes 1-3 and 7 were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, which revealed that all the Al atoms adopt a distorted tetrahedral geometry. These Al complexes were tested as the initiators for the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone (ε-CL). The polymerization results showed that 1-5 in the presence of BnOH proceeded efficiently and their catalytic behaviors toward the ROP of ε-CL were significantly affected by the substituents of the aryl ring (Ar) on the end of the enamino framework, where the placement of electron-withdrawing substituents caused higher catalytic activity. However 6 and 7 displayed poor activity under the same conditions, suggesting that ortho-substituents on the Ar moieties hamper the coordination-insertion of the ε-CL monomer. The ROP of ε-CL by efficient binary catalytic systems proceeded in a living manner evidenced by the narrow PDIs and the linear nature of Mversus conversion plots and monomer/catalyst ratios.