Titanium complexes with novel triaryl-substituted phosphinimide ligands: Synthesis, structure and ethylene polymerization behavior

A series of titanium phosphinimide complexes [Ph2P(2-RO-C6H4)(2)TiCl2 (7, R = CH3; 8, R = CHMe2) and (PhP(2-Me2CHOC6H4)][THF]TiCl3 (9) have been prepared by reaction of TiCl4 with the corresponding phosphinimines under dehalosilylation. The structure of complex 9 has been determined by X-ray crystallography, and a solvent molecule THF was found to be coordinated with the central metal and the Ti-O bond was consistent with the normal Ti-O (donor) bond length. The complexes 7 and 8 displayed inactive to ethylene polymerization, and the complex 9 displayed moderate activity in the presence of modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO) or i-BU3Al/Ph3CB(C6F5)(4), and this should be partly attributed to coordination of THF with titanium and the steric effect of two iso-propoxyl. And catalytic activity up to 32.2 kg-PE/(mol-Ti h bar) was observed.