Synthesis of pyrrolidinyl-ethylene fluorenyl rare-earth metal complexes and catalysis for 2-vinylpyridine polymerization

The metathesis reaction between pyrrolidinyl-ethylene fluorenyl lithium salts with in situ prepared cationic rare-earth metal dialkyl species[Ln(CH_(2)SiMe_(3))_(2)(THF)_(x)][BPh_(4)]afford efficiently the corresponding constrained-geometry complexes L^(1)Ln(CH_(2)SiMe_(3))_(2)(L^(1)=FluCH_(2)CH_(2)NC_(4)H_(8),Ln=Y(1a),Lu(1b),Sc(1c))and L^(2)Ln(CH_(2)SiMe_(3))_(2)(L^(2)=(2,7-di-tert-butyl)FluCH_(2)CH_(2)NC_(4)H_(8),Ln=Y(2a),Lu(2b),Sc(2c))in good yields.All these complexes were characterized by NMR spectroscopy,and the solid-state molecular structure of yttrium complex 1a was defined with single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.The catalytic performance of these complexes towards 2-vinylpyridine polymerization was investigated,where these complexes alone can efficiently promote the polymerization of 2-vinylpyridine giving isotactic poly(2-vinylpyridine).Upon the activation with[Ph_(3)C][B(C_(6)F_(5))_(4)],the yttrium and lutetium complexes also afford isotactic poly(2-vinylpyridine),while the scandium complexes produce syndiotactic poly(2-vinylpyridine).