Phosphinimino-amino Magnesium Complexes: Synthesis and Catalysis of Heteroselective ROP of rac-Lactide

Alkane elimination reactions of phosphinimino-amine ligands HL1–8 ((2,6-Me2-C6H3NH)­C­(Ph)CHPPh2(NAr) (Ar = C6H5 (HL1); 2,6-Me2-C6H3 (HL2); 2,6-Et2-C6H3 (HL3); 2,6-iPr2-C6H3 (HL4); 2-OMe-C6H4 (HL5); 2-Cl-C6H4 (HL6); 3-CF3-C6H4 (HL7); 4-MeO-C6H4 (HL8)) with MgnBu2, respectively, afforded a series of phosphinimino-amine-based complexes L1–8MgnBu­(THF) (1–8) by releasing butane. Complexes 1–8 are phosphinimino-amine-ligated THF-solvated mono­(alkyl)­s, among which 1–4 adopt twisted tetrahedral geometries, whereas 5 contains a trigonal bipyramido geometry core. Complexes 1–8 all display high activity for the ring-opening polymerization of rac-lactide. The molecular weights of the resulting PLA are close to the theoretic values, and the molecular weight distributions are narrow. Moreover, these complexes show medium to high heteroselectivity, which, interestingly, increases with the decrease of the ligand steric hindrance; thus, complex 1, bearing a less bulky ligand, exhibits a heteroselectivity of Pr = 0.98, the highest value of a magnesium-based initiator achieved to date. The kinetics study showed that the polymerization rate is first-order dependent on both monomer and initiator concentrations, and the overall rate equation is −d­[LA]/dt = 3.78 M–1 s–1 [LA]­[Mg].