Unexpected Reactions between Ziegler–Natta Catalyst Components and Structural Characterization of Resulting Intermediates

In this work, we investigated precursors and procatalysts with well-defined crystal structures and morphologies in Ziegler–Natta systems to improve our understanding of the nature of the active metal sites. Molecular cluster precursors such as [Mg4Ti3(μ6-O)­(μ3-OH)3(μ-OEt)9(OEt)3(EtOH)3Cl3], [Mg4Ti3(μ6-O)­(μ3-OH)­(μ3-OEt)2(μ-OEt)9(OEt)3(EtOH)3Cl3], and [Mg6Ti4(μ6-O)2(μ3-OH)4(μ-OEt)14(OEt)4(EtOH)2Cl2] were prepared via simple elimination of the cyclopentadienyl ring from Cp2TiCl2 as CpH in the presence of magnesium metal and ethanol. Titanocene dichloride acts as both a source of titanium and a magnesium-chlorinating agent. The resulting novel complexes were characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In these compounds, Ti­(OEt)4 molecules are grafted onto Mg4 and Mg6 ethoxide cubane-like surfaces; this strongly affects the procatalyst morphology, which is transferred to the polymer. Mg4(OR)8 units act as carriers for the AlR3 co-catalyst, resulting in return of alkyl functions to the Ti center.