Copolymerization of Carbon Dioxide with Epoxides Catalyzed by Structurally Well-Characterized Dinickel Bis(benzotriazole iminophenolate) Complexes: Influence of Carboxylate Ligands on the Catalytic Performance

A series of structurally well-defined dinickel carboxylate complexes based on the RBiIBTP derivatives [RBiIBTP = bis(benzotriazole iminophenolate), where R = 3C for the propyl-bridged backbone and 5C for the 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propyl-bridged backbone] were synthesized and developed for copolymerization of CO2 and epoxides. The one-pot reactions of nickel perchlorate with the RBiIBTP-H2 proligands and an appropriate amount of carboxylic acid derivatives (CF3COOH or 4-X-C6H4CO2H; X = H, CF3, OMe) upon the addition of triethylamine in refluxing methanol (MeOH) afforded dinuclear nickel dicarboxylate complexes, which could be formulated as either [(RBiIBTP)Ni2(O2CCF3)2] (1 and 2) or [(RBiIBTP)Ni2(O2CC6H4-4-X)2] (3–7). The dinickel monobenzoate complexes [(RBiIBTP)Ni2(O2CPh)(ClO4)(H2O)] [R = 3C (8) and 5C (9)] were prepared by using a similar synthetic route in tetrahydrofuran under reflux with a ligand precursor to metal salt to benzoic acid ratio of 1:2:1 in the presence of NEt3. Recrystallization of neutral n...