Isolation of a hexanuclear chromium cluster with a tetrahedral hydridic core and its catalytic behavior for ethylene oligomerization

Ahmed Alzamly; Sandro Gambarotta; Ilia Korobkov; Muralee Murugesu; Jennifer J H Le Roy; Peter H M Budzelaar

doi:10.1021/ic500445b

Isolation of a hexanuclear chromium cluster with a tetrahedral hydridic core and its catalytic behavior for ethylene oligomerization

Inorg Chem. 2014 Jun 16;53(12):6073-81. doi: 10.1021/ic500445b. Epub 2014 May 29.

Authors

Ahmed Alzamly¹, Sandro Gambarotta, Ilia Korobkov, Muralee Murugesu, Jennifer J H Le Roy, Peter H M Budzelaar

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemistry, University of Ottawa , 10 Marie Curie, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada.

PMID: 24874446
DOI: 10.1021/ic500445b

Abstract

A chromium complex [2-(NHCH2PPh2)C5H4N]CrCl3·THF2 (1) of the ligand PyNHCH2PPh2 has been synthesized, characterized, and examined for its catalytic behavior toward ethylene oligomerization. When complex 1 was treated with (i-Bu)3Al, an unprecedented divalent polyhydride chromium cluster μ,κ(1),κ(2),κ(3)-N,N,P-{[2-(NCH2PPh2)C5H4N]Cr(μ-H)}4[(μ-Cl)Cr(μ-Cl)Al(i-Bu)2Cl]2 (2) was obtained. The complex contains a Cr4H4 core, which is expected to be diamagnetic, and which remains coordinated to two additional divalent high-spin Cr atoms via bridging interactions. Two aluminate residues remain bonded to the peripheral chromium atoms. The structure, magnetism, and electronic configuration are herein discussed.