1,3-Diene Polymerization Promoted by Half-Sandwich Rare-Earth-Metal Dimethyl Complexes: Active Species Clustering and Cationization/Deactivation Processes.

When activated with fluorinated borate cocatalysts the trimetallic complexes [Cp*LnMe ] (Ln=Y, Lu; Cp*=C Me ) promote efficiently the formation of high-cis polybutadiene. Respective polyisoprenes instead bear much less pronounced microstructures, but reveal crosslinked products at lower polymerization temperatures. Varying the amount of cocatalyst, the emerging active species were examined by NMR spectroscopic techniques (incl.

Rare-earth-metal alkylaluminates supported by N-donor-functionalized cyclopentadienyl ligands: C-H bond activation and performance in isoprene polymerization.

Homoleptic tetramethylaluminate complexes [Ln(AlMe4)3] (Ln=La, Nd, Y) reacted with HCp(NMe2) (Cp(NMe2) =1-[2-(N,N-dimethylamino)-ethyl]-2,3,4,5-tetramethyl-cyclopentadienyl) in pentane at -35 °C to yield half-sandwich rare-earth-metal complexes, [{C5 Me4CH2CH2NMe2 (AlMe3)}Ln(AlMe4)2]. Removal of the N-donor-coordinated trimethylaluminum group through donor displacement by using an equimolar amount of Et2O at ambient temperature only generated the methylene-bridged complexes [{C5Me4CH2CH2NMe(μ-CH2)AlMe3}Ln(AlMe4)] with the larger rare-earth-metal ions lanthanum and neodymium. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the formation of isostructural complexes and the C-H bond activation of one aminomethyl group.