Mechanistic investigations of the ethylene tetramerisation reaction.

The unprecedented selective tetramerisation of ethylene to 1-octene was recently reported. In the present study various mechanistic aspects of this novel transformation were investigated. The unusually high 1-octene selectivity in chromium-catalyzed ethylene tetramerisation reactions is caused by the unique extended metallacyclic mechanism in operation.

Ethylene trimerisation and tetramerisation catalysts with polar-substituted diphosphinoamine ligands.

Chromium-based catalyst systems with polar-substituted diphosphinoamine ligands are selective for either trimerisation or tetramerisation of ethylene, depending on the position of the polar groups on the aryl rings.

Highly selective chromium-based ethylene trimerisation catalysts with bulky diphosphinoamine ligands.

In situ prepared chromium catalysts containing bulky diphosphinoamine (PNP) ligands, upon activation with MAO, are extremely efficient catalysts for the trimerisation of ethylene to 1-hexene.

Ethylene tetramerization: a new route to produce 1-octene in exceptionally high selectivities.

Linear alpha-olefins, such as 1-hexene and 1-octene, are important comonomers in the production of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). The conventional method of producing 1-hexene and 1-octene is by oligomerization of ethylene, which yields a wide spectrum of linear alpha-olefins (LAOs). While there exists several processes for producing 1-hexene via ethylene trimerization, a similar route for the selective production of 1-octene has so far been elusive.