Synthesis, characterization and ethylene oligomerization studies of chromium complexes bearing imino-furfural ligands

Article abstract of DOI:10.5935/0103-5053.20140274

A series of chromium(III) complexes bearing imino-furfural ligands ( Cr1 - Cr4 ) were synthesized and characterized by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). All chromium precatalysts, activated with methylaluminoxane (MAO), exhibited moderate to high activities for ethylene oligomerization [turnover frequency (TOF) = 11,008-23,200 mol(ethylene) mol(Cr)^-1 h^-1)] producing oligomers in the range C_4-C₁₂₊ with good selectivity for α-olefins. The in situ chromium precatalysts formed by mixing imino-furfural ligand L¹ with [CrCl₃(THF)₃] or [Cr(acac)₃] showed low activities, producing oligomers together with varying amounts of polyethylene. The use of different chromium sources and cocatalysts influences the activity as well as the selectivities toward α-olefin production, which suggests that different active species are formed.

Full text of DOI:10.5935/0103-5053.20140274

http://dx.doi.org/10.5935/0103-5053.20140274
J. Braz. Chem. Soc., Vol. 25, No. 12, 2466-2474, 2014.
Printed in Brazil - ©2014 Sociedade Brasileira de Química
0103 - 5053 $6.00+0.00
Article
A
Synthesis, Characterization and Ethylene Oligomerization Studies of Chromium
Complexes Bearing Imino-Furfural Ligands
Ana H. D. P. S. Ulbrich,a Jorge L. S. Milani,a Paolo R. Livotto,a
Jean-François Carpentierb and Osvaldo L. Casagrande Jr.*,a
aLaboratório de Catálise Molecular, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul,
Avenida Bento Gonçalves, 9500, 90501-970 Porto Alegre-RS, Brazil
bInstitut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, Organometallics: Materials and Catalysis Dept.,
UMR 6226 CNRS-Université de Rennes 1, F-35042 Rennes Cedex, France
Uma série de complexos de cromo(III) contendo ligantes imina-furfural (Cr1-Cr4) foram
sintetizados e caracterizados por espectrometria de massas de alta resolução (HRMS). Todos
os pré-catalisadores de cromo, ativados com metilaluminoxano (MAO), apresentaram atividade
moderada na oligomerização do etileno [frequência de rotação (TOF) = 11.800-23.200 mol(etileno)
mol(Cr)-1 h-1)] produzindo oligômeros na faixa de C4-C12+ e com boa seletividade para olefinas-α.
Os pré-catalisadores de cromo(III) formados in situ pela combinação do ligante imina-furfural
L1 com [CrCl3(THF)3] ou [Cr(acac)3] apresentaram baixas atividades, produzindo oligômeros
juntamente com quantidades variáveis de polietileno. A utilização de diferentes compostos de
cromo e cocatalisadores influenciam a atividade bem como a seletividade para a produção de
olefinas-α, o que sugere que diferentes espécies catalíticas são formadas.
A series of chromium(III) complexes bearing imino-furfural ligands (Cr1-Cr4) were
synthesized and characterized by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). All chromium
precatalysts, activated with methylaluminoxane (MAO), exhibited moderate to high activities for
ethylene oligomerization [turnover frequency (TOF) = 11,008-23,200 mol(ethylene) mol(Cr)-1 h-1)]
producing oligomers in the range C4-C12+ with good selectivity for α-olefins. The in situ chromium
precatalysts formed by mixing imino-furfural ligand L1 with [CrCl3(THF)3] or [Cr(acac)3] showed
low activities, producing oligomers together with varying amounts of polyethylene. The use of
different chromium sources and cocatalysts influences the activity as well as the selectivities toward
α-olefin production, which suggests that different active species are formed.
Keywords: imino-fufural ligands, chromium complexes, ethylene oligomerization
Introduction
the early stages of the chain growth (Cossee-Arlman
mechanism).11
A considerable amount of research effort has been
dedicated both recently and in the past to nonselective
ethylene oligomerization with the aim of improving the
comprehension of this industrially relevant catalytic
process.1-7 The mixtures of linear alpha olefins (LAO)
produced by this process are in fact valuable commodity
chemicals for a range of industrial and household
applications depending on their molar mass distribution
(detergents, surfactants, cosmetics, synthetic lubricants,
etc.).8-10 A nonselective oligomerization is closely
reminiscent of a polymerization randomly truncated at
Among the transition-metal-based catalysts, chromium
catalysts occupy a unique position, since they provide both
selective (commercially viable tri-, and tetramerization
catalytic systems)12-14 and nonselective ethylene
oligomerization. Typical examples are the Chevron Phillips
trimerization catalyst,15 the first and sole trimerization
system to be successfully commercialized, and the few
existing tetramerization systems with 1-octene selectivities
in the range of 70%.16,17
In the past years, several well-defined ethylene
oligomerization chromium catalysts bearing NˆNˆN,18-22
PˆNˆP,23-36 SˆNˆS,37-40 PˆN41-43 ligands have been reported.
Suchbi-andtridentateligandsplayacentralroleinstabilizing
*e-mail: osvaldo.casagrande@ufrgs.br

Vol. 25, No. 12, 2014
Ulbrich et al.
2467
a particular oxidation state and consequently in determining
the catalytic behavior (selective vs. nonselective).
Particularly, the BP Chemicals and Sasol PNP-chromium
complexes (PNP = PhCH2N(CH2CH2PPh2)2), stabilized
by neutral RN(PAr2)2 ligands, have marked a milestone in
this field. These catalysts oligomerize ethylene with high
selectivity toward either 1-hexene or 1-octene, depending
on the ligand substituents (Ar = 2-OMe–C6H4, C6H5,
respectively).16,44,45 Further replacements of the heteroatom
combinations or modifications of the ligand frameworks
also produced highly selective ethylene trimerization
catalysts.46-50
More recently, Gambarotta and co-workers51 reported
chromium complexes bearing a series of pyridine-
phosphine ligands and their catalytic behavior in ethylene
oligomerization. The solvent choice has a pronounced
influence on the catalytic activity as well as on the
PE/oligomer ratio. The preference for aliphatic or aromatic
surroundings is dependent on the ligand system.Variations
of the ligand structure have demonstrated that a dramatic
change in catalytic behavior can be obtained upon a subtle
modification in the ligand skeleton. It has been demonstrated
that minor differences in the ligand structure can result in
remarkable changes not only in catalytic activity but
also in selectivity toward α-olefins vs. polyethylene and
distribution of oligomeric products. Ligand PyCH2N(Me)
PiPr2, in combination with [CrCl3(THF)3] afforded selective
ethylene tri- and tetramerization, giving 1-hexene and
1-octene with good overall selectivity and high purity, albeit
with the presence of small amounts of PE.51
were deoxygenated and dried through BTS columns
(BASF) and activated molecular sieves prior to use.
Methylaluminoxane (MAO) (Witco, 5.21 wt.% Al
solution in toluene), polymethylaluminoxane-improved
performance (PMAO-IP) (Akzo Nobel, 13.0 wt.% Al
solution in toluene) was used as received. Ethylaluminum
sesquichloride (EASC) (Akzo Nobel) was used with
the previous dilution (2.1 wt.% Al solution in toluene).
Infrared spectra (IR) were performed on a Bruker FT-IR
1
Alpha Spectrometer. H and 13C{1H} nuclear magnetic
resonance (NMR) spectra were recorded on aVarian Inova
300 spectrometer operating at 25 °C. Chemical shifts
are reported in ppm vs. SiMe4 and were determined by
reference to the residual solvent peaks. Elemental analysis
was performed by the Analytical Central Service of the
Institute of Chemistry-USP (Brazil) and is the average of
two independent determinations. High-resolution mass
spectra (HRMS) of chromium precatalysts (Cr1-Cr4) were
obtained by electrospray ionization (ESI) in the positive
mode in CHCl3 solutions using aWaters Micromass® Q-Tof
spectrometer. Quantitative gas chromatographic analysis of
ethylene oligomerization products was performed on an
Agilent 7890A instrument with a Petrocol HD capillary
column (methyl silicone, 100 m length, 0.25 mm i.d. and
film thickness of 0.5 μm) operating at 36 °C for 15 min
followed by heating at 5 °C min-1 until 250 °C; cyclohexane
was used as the internal standard.
Synthesis of the imino-furfural proligands
In this work, we report a series of chromium complexes
supported by imino-furfural ligands and investigated their
catalytic behavior for ethylene oligomerization. We also
discuss the performance of in situ-generated catalysts
evaluating the effect of chromium sources and cocatalyst
type on their activity and selectivity towards the production
of α-olefins.
N-((5-Methylfuran-2-yl)methylene)-2-phenoxy-
ethanamine (L1): A solution of 5-methylfurfural (0.44 g,
4.00 mmol) in ethanol (8 mL) was added to a solution
of 2-phenoxyethanamine (0.55 g, 4.00 mmol) in ethanol
(20 mL) and stirred at room temperature for 3 days. Then,
the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure to afford
an orange solid that was washed with hexane and dried
under vacuum. The resulting orange solid was crystallized
in ether (0.79 g - 86%); m.p. 70 °C; 1H NMR (300 MHz,
CDCl3) d 2.37 (s, 3H), 3.95 (t, 2H, J 5.8 Hz), 4.28 (t, 2H,
J 5.8 Hz), 6.08 (d, 1H, J 3.4 Hz), 6.64 (d, 1H, J 3.2 Hz),
6.92 (m, 3H, J 8.9 Hz), 7.26 (t, 2H, J 9.2 Hz), 8.08 (s, 1H);
13C{1H} NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3) d 13.9, 60.3, 67.1, 108.0,
114.6, 116.7, 120.7, 129.3, 149.9, 151.4, 155.8, 158.7; IR
(neat) νmax/cm-1 3111 (w), 2936 (w), 2878 (w), 2836 (w),
1647 (s), 1586 (m), 1531 (m), 1498 (m), 1455 (m), 1435
(m), 1335 (m), 1246 (s), 1165 (m), 1080 (m), 1056 (m),
1022 (m), 947 (m), 904 (m), 813 (m), 780 (w), 761 (s), 695
(m), 614 (w), 510 (w); elemental analysis for C14H15NO2
(229.11): C, 73.34; H, 6.59; N, 6.11%; found: C, 73.36;
H, 6.96; N, 6.19%.
Experimental
General procedures
All manipulations involving air- and/or water-
sensitive compounds were carried out in an MBraun
glovebox or under dry argon using standard Schlenk
techniques. Solvents were dried from the appropriate
drying agents under argon before use. [CrCl3(THF)3],
[Cr(acac)3], 2-phenoxyethanamine, 5-methylfurfural,
2-phenoxybenzenamine, 2-methoxybenzylnamine, and
furfural were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich and used
as received. Ethylene (White Martins Co.) and argon

2468
Synthesis, Characterization and Ethylene Oligomerization Studies of Chromium Complexes
J. Braz. Chem. Soc.
N-((5-Methylfuran-2-yl)methylene)-2-phenoxy-
149.8, 151.9, 157.5; IR (neat) νmax/cm-1 3002 (m), 2929 (m),
2884 (m), 2836 (m), 1646 (s), 1580 (m), 1570 (m), 1492
(s), 1460 (m), 1440 (m), 1388 (m), 1374 (m), 1289 (m),
1246 (s), 1179 (w), 1113 (w), 1022 (m), 937 (w), 795 (m),
756 (s), 610 (w), 581 (w), 505 (w); elemental analysis for
C14H15NO2 (263.09): C, 77.55; H, 4.98; N, 5.32%; found:
C, 77.81; H, 4.99; N, 5.45%.
benzenamine (L2): This product was prepared by following
a procedure similar to what was described above for L1,
starting from 5-methylfurfural (1.00 g, 9.10 mmol), and
4-phenoxybenzenamine (1.69 g, 9.10 mmol). L2 was
obtained as a brown solid (2.41 g, 96%); m.p. 94 °C;
1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) d 2.38 (s, 3H), 6.11 (d, 1H,
J 3.4 Hz), 6.76 (d, 1H, J 3.2 Hz), 6.93-7.18 (m, 7H), 7.28
13
(t, 2H, J 7.5 Hz), 8.22 (s, 1H); C{1H} NMR (75 MHz,
Synthesis of chromium precatalysts
CDCl3) d 13.9, 108.6, 118.3, 118.6, 119.9, 122.3, 122.7,
124.1, 126.1, 129.4, 143.7, 148.7, 149.6, 150.5, 156.7,
157.5; IR (neat) νmax/cm-1 3117 (m), 2941 (m), 2874 (m),
2832 (m), 1649 (s), 1587 (s), 1535 (m), 1498 (m), 1464
(m), 1435 (m), 1393 (w), 1369 (w), 1289 (w), 1246 (s),
1174 (m), 1108 (w), 1084 (m), 1056 (m), 1022 (m), 1004
(m), 965 (w), 947 (m), 899 (m), 809 (m), 756 (s), 690
(m), 610 (w), 514 (w); elemental analysis for C18H15NO2
(277.11): C, 77.96; H, 5.45; N, 5.05%; found: C, 77.45;
H, 5.70; N, 5.20%.
[L1CrCl2(µ-Cl)]2 (Cr1): To a solution of [CrCl3(THF)3]
(0.21 g, 0.56 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) (10 mL) was
added a solution of L1 (0.14 g, 0.63 mmol) in THF (10 mL)
and the resulting solution was stirred for 3 h at room
temperature. The solvent was removed, and the resulting
brown solid residue was washed with Et2O (3 × 5.0 mL).
Complex Cr1 was obtained as a brown solid (0.14 g, 67%);
35
52
ESI-HRMS (CHCl3) m/z calcd. for C14H15NO2 Cl2 Cr
[M–Cl]+: 350.9885; found: 350.9886.
2-Methoxyphenyl-N-((5-methylfuran-2-yl)methylene)
methanamine (L3): This product was prepared by following
a procedure similar to what was described above for
L1, starting from 5-methylfurfural (0.57 g, 5.2 mmol)
and 2-methoxybenzylnamine (0.71 g, 5.2 mmol). After
purification by chromatographic column on silica gel
(petroleum ether/ethyl acetate, 90:10), L3 was obtained
[L2CrCl2(µ-Cl)]2 (Cr2): This compound was prepared
according to the method described for Cr1 using
[CrCl3(THF)3] (0.28 g, 0.75 mmol) and L2 (0.23 g,
0.83 mmol). Precatalyst Cr2 was obtained as a brown
solid (0.32 g, 98%); ESI-HRMS (CHCl3) m/z calcd. for
C18H15NO235Cl252Cr [M–Cl]+: 398.9885; found: 398.9886.
1
as a dark brown oil (1.15 g, 97%); H NMR (300 MHz,
[L3CrCl2(µ-Cl)]2 (Cr3): This compound was prepared
according to the method described for Cr1 using
[CrCl3(THF)3] (0.27 g, 0.73 mmol) and L3 (0.19 g,
0.85 mmol). Precatalyst Cr3 was obtained as a brown
solid (0.16 g, 56%); ESI-HRMS (CHCl3) m/z calcd. for
C14H15NO235Cl252Cr [M–Cl]+: 350.9885; found: 350.9886.
CDCl3): d 2.35 (s, 3H), 3.82 (s, 3H), 4.78 (s, 2H), 6.06
(d, 1H, J 3.2 Hz), 6.60 (d, 1H, J 3.2 Hz), 6.85 (1H, d,
3JHH 8.2 Hz), 6.93 (1H, t, 3JHH 7.4 Hz), 7.22-7.30 (2H, m),
8.01 (1H, s); 13C{1H} NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3) d 13.5, 54.8,
58.9, 107.6, 109.8, 115.6, 120.1, 126.7, 127.9, 129.4, 149.9,
150.0, 154.9, 156.9; IR (neat) νmax/cm-1 3120 (w), 3017 (w),
2960 (w), 2841 (w), 1635 (m), 1584 (m), 1580 (m), 1498
(s), 1464 (s), 1388 (w), 1346 (w), 1289 (m), 1241 (s), 1203
(w), 1184 (w), 1132 (w), 1046 (w), 1022 (m), 961 (w),
756 (m), 728 (w), 604 (w), 462 (w); elemental analysis for
C14H15NO2 (229.11): C, 73.34; H, 6.59; N, 6.11%; found:
C, 72.98; H, 6.55; N, 6.14%.
[L4CrCl2(µ-Cl)]2 (Cr4): This compound was prepared
according to the method described for Cr1 using
[CrCl3(THF)3] (0.33 g, 0.89 mmol) and L4 (0.23 g,
1.00 mmol). Precatalyst Cr4 was obtained as a red
solid (0.34 g, 91%); ESI-HRMS (CHCl3) m/z calcd. for
C17H13NO235Cl252Cr [M–Cl]+: 384.9728; found: 384.9723.
N-((Furan-2-yl)methylene)-2-phenoxybenzenamine (L4):
This product was prepared by following a procedure similar
to what was described above for L1, starting from furfural
(1.84 g, 19.2 mmol), and 2-phenoxybenzenamine (3.51 g,
18.9 mmol). L4 was obtained as a yellow solid (3.50 g,
70%); m.p. 89 °C; 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): d 6.50 (s,
1H), 6.89 (d, 1H, J 3.3 Hz), 6.97-7.06 (m, 4H), 7.12-7.16
(m, 3H), 7.29 (t, 2H, J 7.8 Hz), 7.57 (s, 1H), 8.34 (s, 1H);
13C{1H} NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3) d 112.0, 116.1, 118.2,
120.1, 122.1, 124.1, 126.5, 129.4, 143.3, 145.53, 148.7,
Ethylene oligomerization
All ethylene oligomerization tests were performed in
a 100 mL double-walled stainless Parr reactor equipped
with mechanical stirring, internal temperature control and
continuous feed of ethylene. The Parr reactor was dried
in an oven at 120 °C for 5 h prior to each run, and then
placed under vacuum for 30 min. A typical reaction was
performed by introducing toluene (30 mL) and the proper
amount of cocatalyst into the reactor under an ethylene

Vol. 25, No. 12, 2014
Ulbrich et al.
2469
atmosphere. After 20 min, the toluene catalyst solution
(10 mL, [Cr] = 10 μmol) was injected into the reactor under
a stream of ethylene and then the reactor was immediately
pressurized. Ethylene was continuously fed in order to
maintain the desired ethylene pressure. After 15 min, the
reaction was stopped by cooling the system to –60 °C
and depressurizing. An exact amount of cyclohexane was
introduced (as an internal standard) and the mixture was
analyzed by quantitative gas-liquid chromatography (GLC).
carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and chloride atoms. For the
chromium atom the inner shell electrons were represented
by the Los Alamos effective core potential (LANL2) of
Hay and Wadt59,60 and the valence electrons were explicitly
included using the associated DZ basis set.All calculations
were performed with the Gaussian 09 program using
standard procedures and parameters.61
Results and Discussion
Crystal structure determination
The imino-furfural proligands L1-L4 were readily
synthesized by Schiff base condensations between the
corresponding primary amines and the corresponding
furfural in refluxing ethanol (Scheme 1). These proligands
were characterized by IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy,
elemental analysis, and by an X-ray diffraction study for
Diffraction data for L1 and L2 were collected at 150(2) K
using a Bruker APEX CCD diffractometer with graphite
monochromated MoKα radiation (λ = 0.71073 Å). A
combination of ω and ϕ scans was carried out to obtain at
least a unique data set. The crystal structures were solved
by direct methods; the remaining atoms were located
from difference Fourier synthesis followed by full-matrix
least-squares refinement based on F2 (programs SIR97)52
and then refined with full-matrix least-square methods
based on F2 (SHELXL-97)53 with the aid of the WINGX
program.54 All non-hydrogen atoms were refined with
anisotropic displacement parameters. H atoms were finally
included in their calculated positions. Crystal data and
details of data collection and structure refinement for L1
and L2 can be obtained, free of charge, from the Cambridge
Crystallographic Data Centre via www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/
data_request/cif (CCDC 1015675 and 1015679).
1
proligands L1 and L2. The H NMR spectra of L1-L4 in
CDCl3 at room temperature exhibit resonances in the region
d 8.01-8.34 ppm assigned to the imine proton (HC=N), with
the corresponding 13C NMR resonances for the carbons of
the imine moieties at ca. d 157 ppm. In the solid state, the IR
spectra of imina-furfural proligands showed the vibration
modes of the imine (C=N) unit at 1635-1649 cm-1.
Single crystals of the proligands L1 and L2 suitable
for crystal X-ray diffraction analysis were obtained by
slow evaporation from pentane solution. Crystal data and
structure refinement are summarized in Table S1 (see
Supplementary Information). The molecular geometry
and atom-labeling scheme are shown in Figures 1 and 2.
The molecular structures of L1-L2 show that the geometry
around the C=N bond is essentially co-planar, with phenyl/
alkyl units trans to the furfural moiety. The C=N bond
length in L1 and L2 are similar (1.2735(15) and 1.283(2)Å)
and compare well with those observed for related Schiff
base ligands.62,63
Theoretical calculations
Full unconstrained geometry optimizations of all
species were performed at density functional theory (DFT)
level using the B3LYP hybrid functional formed by the
three parameter fit of the exchange-correlation potential
suggested by Becke55 and the gradient-corrected correlation
functional of Lee,Yang and Parr.56 The polarized Dunning-
Huzinaga DZ basis set57,58 was used for the hydrogen,
The reaction of [CrCl3(THF)3] with 1.1 eq. of imino-
furfural proligands (L1-L4) in THF at room temperature
affords the corresponding chromium complexes (Cr1-Cr4)
which were isolated as brown or red-colored solids
Scheme 1. Preparation of imino-furfural proligands.

2470
Synthesis, Characterization and Ethylene Oligomerization Studies of Chromium Complexes
J. Braz. Chem. Soc.
and titanium65 complexes, in which it was observed that
the furfural unit did not coordinate to the metal center due
to its low Lewis basicity. Based on the results mentioned
above, we speculate that the 5-coordinated Cr species
converts to the most stable 6-coordinated ones after the
dimerization process, generating dimeric species as shown
in Scheme 2. It should be pointed out that the use of
bidentate ligands in the synthesis of chromium complexes
promotes the formation of dimeric or monomeric
species.41-43 However, in the latter case these monomeric
species usually exhibit THF or CH3CN in the coordination
sphere of the chromium atom.
Figure 1. ORTEP representation of the molecular solid-state structure of
L1. Ellipsoids are drawn at the 50% probability level.All hydrogen atoms
are omitted for clarity. Select bond distances (Å): C(6)–O(7) = 1.3724(15),
C(9)–N(10)
= 1.4572(16), C(11)–N(10) = 1.2735(15),
C(12)–C(11) = 1.4396(17), C(12)–O(16) = 1.3768(13) and
C(15)–O(16) = 1.3732(14).
Figure 3. DFT-optimized coordination mode of imine-furfural proligand
for Cr2.
Figure 2. ORTEP representation of the molecular solid-state
structure of L2. Ellipsoids are drawn at the 50% probability level. All
hydrogen atoms are omitted for clarity. Select bond distances (Å):
C(6)–O(7) = 1.3813(19), C(16)–C(15) = 1.431(2), C(15)–N(14) = 1.283(2),
C(16)–O(20) = 1.3784(18), C19–O20 = 1.3736(17), N14–C15 = 1.283(2)
and C13–N14 = 1.4180(19).
in moderate to good yields (typically 56-98%). These
precatalysts are very moisture sensitive and therefore
satisfactory CHN analyses were difficult to obtain. Hence,
the identity of Cr1-Cr4 was established on the basis of
ESI-HRMS (which indicated the formation of [M–Cl]+
ions without the presence of THF molecules coordinated
to the metal center). Attempts to recrystallize complexes
Cr1-Cr4 from dichloromethane/petroleum ether resulted
in amorphous materials, unfortunately not suitable for a
single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.
We performed DFT calculations in order to estimate
the preferable coordination mode of the imine-furfural
ligand L2 to generate the chromium precatalyst Cr2. Initial
DFT theoretical study carried out assuming the formation
of monomeric species with L2 acting as a tridentate ligand
failed to generate a stable structure. The most stable
structure was achieved with L2 acting as a bidentate ligand
without coordination of furfural to the metal center as
presented in Figure 3. Furthermore, the bidentate behavior
of imino-furfural proligands is also supported by cobalt64
Scheme 2. Synthesis of chromium complexes supported by the imino-
furfural proligands.
All chromium complexes were tested for ethylene
oligomerization at 80 °C, 20 bar of ethylene pressure, and
using MAO as cocatalyst. Table 1 summarizes the results
of reactions carried out using 10 μmol of precatalyst in
40 mL of toluene. All chromium complexes investigated
have been found to generate active systems for the linear
oligomerization of ethylene with turnover frequencies
(TOFs) varying from 11,800 to 23,200 mol(ethylene)
mol(Cr)-1 h-1. Among the catalytic systems herein, the
Cr1/MAO system shows the highest activity of up to
23,200 mol(ethylene) mol(Cr)-1 h-1 (Table 1, entry 1). The
activity results found for this class of chromium precatalysts
are much lower, comparable to chromium complexes
stabilized by N,P-bidentate ligands,41-43 indicating that the
imino-furfural ligands do not provide the formation of very
stable active species.

Vol. 25, No. 12, 2014
Ulbrich et al.
2471
Table 1. Ethylene Oligomerization with Cr1-Cr4/MAO systemsa
Oligomer distribution / wt.%c
C6 (α-C6) C8 (α-C8) C10 (α-C10)
TOFb /
103 h-1
Olig. /
wt.%
PE /
wt.%
Total
product / mg
d
entry
Cat.
αav
C4 (α-C4)
C12+
30.4
31.3
32.3
31.2
1
2
3
4
Cr1
Cr2
Cr3
Cr4
23.2
11.8
13.7
16.6
15.5 (94.0) 18.5 (95.0) 21.1 (77.0) 14.5 (85.0)
11.9 (89.0) 16.3 (89.0) 24.2 (72.0) 16.3 (67.0)
14.4 (91.0) 16.4 (91.0) 19.8 (80.0) 17.1 (66.0)
15.4 (90.0) 18.4 (90.0) 18.6 (92.0) 16.4 (76.0)
81.8
70.2
76.0
86.9
18.2
29.8
24.0
13.1
2690
1710
1710
1840
0.64
0.70
0.68
0.67
aReaction conditions: toluene = 40 mL, [Cr] = 10 µmol, oligomerization time = 15 min, P(ethylene) = 20 bar, T = 80 °C, MAO ([Al]/[Cr] = 300). The
results shown are representative of at least duplicate experiments; bmol of ethylene converted (mol of Cr)-1 h-1 as determined by quantitative GLC; cCn,
percentage of olefin with n carbon atoms in oligomers; α-Cn, percentage of terminal alkene in the Cn fraction, as determined by quantitative GLC; dk =
mol Cn+2 / mol Cn; averaged k value over the carbon rangesC6-C10.
The activity of ethylene oligomerization is substantially
C4
C6
C8
C10
C12+
affected by the ligand environment. For instance, precatalyst
Cr1 containing ethylenic bridge unit is ca. 2.0 times more
active than Cr2 that contains phenyl moiety (Scheme 3).
This result suggests that the presence of a weak electron-
donating group (phenyl unit) increases the Lewis acidity
of Cr(III) and thus destabilizes the active species.
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Cr1
Cr2
Cr3
Cr4
Figure 4. Selectivity of Cr1-Cr4/MAO oligomerization systems for
α-olefins (80 °C, 20 bar, MAO-to-Cr = 300).
Scheme 3.
procatalyst Cr-ligand complex while still obtaining an
active and selective catalyst. However, attempts to apply
similar in situ complexation with L1 were less successful.
In this preliminary study, L1 was mixed with
[CrCl3(THF)3] or [Cr(acac)3] in dry toluene and stirred for
at least 4 h at room temperature before each run. First, the
effect of different chromium precursors on the catalytic
behavior was investigated. The results, with comparison
against Cr1, are shown in Table 2. While the in situ activation
method resulted in poor activities, it is clear that the change
in chromium sources causes different selectivities toward
α-olefins production, which suggests that the different
active species are formed as presented in Figure 5. The use
of [CrCl3(THF)3] led to improved selectivities for the α-C4
(14.5 to 31.6 wt.%) and α-C6 (17.6 to 25.6 wt.%) fractions
All chromium complexes Cr1-Cr4 produce oligomers
ranging from C4 to C12+ with a good selectivity for α-olefins.
As shown in Figure 4, the selectivities for 1-alkenes
afforded by these precatalysts are similar. This indicates that
the pendant O-donor group plays no significant influence in
this series on the product distribution. However, it should
be pointed out that precatalysts Cr2 and Cr4 having more
rigid pendant O-donor moiety, exhibited higher 1-octene
selectivity (Cr2: 17.4 wt.%; Cr4: 17.1 wt.%) compared to
other precatalysts. The distributions of obtained oligomers
deviate little from Schulz-Flory behavior, which is
characteristic of the constant α, where α represents the
probability of chain propagation (α = rate of propagation
/ ((rate of propagation) + (rate of chain transfer)) = (moles
of Cn+2) / (moles of Cn)).66-68
+
and only small amount of higher olefins (C12 : 7.7 wt.%)
A major advantage of chromium-based selective
ethylene oligomerization catalysts stabilized by neutral
ancillary ligands is that they can effectively be generated
in situ by mixing the ancillary ligand with an appropriate
chromium precursor and the cocatalyst.69-71 This approach
avoids the process complexity and cost of preparing a
along with a higher amount of PE (28.3 wt.%). On the other
hand, the use of chlorine-free chromium exhibited higher
selectivity for production of α-olefins (90 wt.%) with almost
45% related to C12+ fraction.
Melting and crystallization of the polyethylenes
produced by Cr/L1 under MAO activation were measured

2472
Synthesis, Characterization and Ethylene Oligomerization Studies of Chromium Complexes
J. Braz. Chem. Soc.
Table 2. Catalyst performance with different Cr/L1 procatalyst sourcesa
Oligomer distribution / wt.%c
C4 (α-C4) C6 (α-C6) C8 (α-C8) C10 (α-C10)
15.5 (94.0) 18.5 (95.0) 21.1 (77.0) 14.5 (85.0)
34.0 (93.0) 33.3 (77.0) 16.0 (100.0) 9.0 (67.0)
12.5 (90.0) 17.4 (81.7) 14.2 (90.0) 11.2 (88.0)
40.0 (89.0) 21.9 (72.0) 16.6 (85.0) 17.7 (88.0)
17.9 (97.0) 22.3 (93.0) 20.7 (88.0) 12.7 (96.0)
TOFb /
Olig. /
wt.%
PE /
Total
entry
Cat.
Cocat.
(103 h-1)
wt.% product / mg
C12+
30.4
7.7
1
Cr1
MAO
MAO
23.2
3.1
6.4
1.1
2.5
81.8
71.7
90.0
23.5
40.9
18.2
28.3
10.0
76.5
59.1
2690
293
500
340
440
5
[CrCl3(THF)3]/L1
[Cr(acac)3]/L1
[Cr(acac)3]/L1
[Cr(acac)3]/L1
6
MAO
44.7
3.8
7d
8
EASC
PMAO-IP
26.4
aReaction conditions: L1 was mixed with [Cr(acac)3] or [CrCl3(THF)3] in dry toluene and stirred for at least 4 h at room temperature before each run.
Toluene = 40 mL, [Cr] = 10 µmol, oligomerization time = 15 min, P(ethylene) = 20 bar, T = 80 °C ([Al/[Cr] = 300). The results shown are representative
of at least duplicate experiments; bmol of ethylene converted (mol of Cr)-1 h-1 as determined by quantitative GLC; cCn: percentage of olefin with n carbon
atoms in oligomers; α-Cn: percentage of terminal alkene in the Cn fraction, as determined by quantitative GLC; d([Al/[Cr] = 100). EASC: ethylaluminum
sesquichloride; PMAO-IP: polymethylaluminoxane-improved performance.
700
the cocatalyst type (EASC and PMAO-IP) showed some
interesting differences (Table 2).
α-C4
α-C6
600
Using EASC instead of MAO shifted the system to
ethylene polymerization with substantial production of
α-C8
α-C10
C12+
500
polyethylene (76.5 wt.%) (Table 2, entry 7) and only
23.5 wt.% of the total amount of products corresponds
PE
400
to linear α-olefins. In this case, a very small amount of
300
C12+ was detected (3.80 wt.%). The use of PMAO-IP also
200
promotes the formation of a substantial amount of PE and
a production of lower amount of α-olefins (40.9 wt.%).
100
However, an improvement in the selectivity for 1-hexene
0
and 1-octene formation was observed compared to
the use of EASC, as shown in Figure 4. In both cases,
the DSC curves show the formation of high-density
polyethylenes (HDPE) with melting temperatures in the
range of 132-134 °C and crystallinities around of 60% (see
Supplementary Information).
Figure 5. Influence of the chromium sources and cocatalyst type on the
distribution of products. Toluene = 40 mL, [Cr] = 10 µmol, oligomerization
time = 15 min, PC2H4 = 20 bar, T = 80 °C.
Conclusions
by means of thermal analysis (differential scanning
calorimetry, DSC) as a function of chromium sources. The
use of [CrCl3(THF)3] generates high-density polyethylene
with melting temperature of 133 °C and crystallinity in the
range of 44%. On the other hand, the use of [Cr(acac)3]
produces a highly branched polyethylene (BPE) with one
endothermic peak at 123 °C and crystallinity of only 8%
(see Supplementary Information). In this case, we assume
that the formation of BPE arises from incorporation of the
in situ produced α-olefins into the growing polymer chain.
A recent study on the Sasol Cr/PNP system shed light
on the role of the cocatalyst during catalysis, suggesting that
the selectivity can be affected remarkably by the strength
of the interaction between the chromium center and the
aluminum species.72 Thus, the influence of cocatalyst on
the catalytic behavior was subsequently investigated. The in
situ catalytic testing using [Cr(acac)3]/L1 in toluene varying
In summary, a new set of chromium(III) complexes
based on imino-furfural ligands has been prepared
and evaluated for ethylene oligomerization under
MAO activation. DFT calculations suggest a bidentate
coordination mode for this class of ligand, which can
generate dimeric Cr species. The selectivities for 1-alkenes
afforded by these precatalysts are similar, suggesting that
the pendant O-donor group plays no significant influence
in this series on the product distribution. However, the
presence of the ethylenic bridge unit in L1 generates more
catalyst activity as compared to the one containing the
phenyl moiety (L2), suggesting that the presence of a weak
electron-donating group (phenyl unit) increases the Lewis
acidity of Cr3+ and thus destabilizing the active species
and decreasing the catalyst lifetime. The in situ activation
method resulted in poor activities, which is most likely

Vol. 25, No. 12, 2014
Ulbrich et al.
2473
the result of the poor solubility of the catalysts in toluene.
The use of different chromium sources and cocatalyst
influences the activity as well as the selectivities toward
α-olefin production, which suggests that different active
species are formed.
13. Agapie, T.; Coord. Chem. Rev. 2011, 255, 861.
14. Van Leeuwen, P. W. N. M.; Clément, N. D.; Tschan, J.-L.;
Coord. Chem. Rev. 2011, 255, 1499.
15. Reagen, W. K. (Phillips Petroleum Company); EP 0417477
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16. Bollmann, A.; Blann, K.; Dixon, J. T.; Hess, F. M.; Killian, E.;
Maumela, H.; McGuinness, D. S.; Morgan, D. H.; Neveling, A.;
Otto, S.; Overett, M.; Slawin, A. M. Z.; Wasserscheid, P.;
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Supplementary Information
Supplementary data (DSC curves of the polyethylenes)
are available free of charge at http://jbcs.sbq.org.br as PDF
file.
Acknowledgments
18. Tomov, A. K.; Chirinos, J. J.; Long, R. J.; Gibson, V. C.;
Elsegood, M. R. J.; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 7704.
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This research was financially supported by Petrobras
S/A (Brazil). A. H. D. P. S. Ulbrich and J. L. S. Milani
gratefully acknowledge CAPES and CNPq for fellowships.
The X-ray diffraction analysis of L1 and L2 were performed
by Thierry Roisnel at the Laboratoire de Chimie du Solide et
Inorganique Moléculaire, Institut de Chimie, Université de
Rennes. In memoriam of the late Professor Roberto Fernando
de Souza, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.
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