Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives
Published on: February 7, 2017
A general one-pot synthesis for elusive 2-substituted indenes: does bis[2-(tert-butyl)indenyl]zirconium(IV)
Andreas C Möller1, Richard Blom, Richard H Heyn
1Department of Hydrcarbon Process Chemistry, SINTEF Materials and Chemistry, P.O. Boks 124 Blindern, N-0314 Oslo, Norway.
Abstract:
Among the 2-substituted indenes, 2-trifluoroindene and 2-tert-butylindene are poorly or incompletely described in the open literature. We herein describe an efficient one-pot synthesis of these compounds as a variation of the Perkin reaction which allows us to refute an earlier claim that bis(2-tert-butylindenyl)zirconium(IV) dichloride (2a) will not polymerise ethene. In fact, 2a/MAO polymerises ethene to extremely high molecular weights. Extensive DFT calculations on the polymerisation mechanism revealed an unprecedented suppression of the otherwise predominant chain termination by beta-hydride transfer due to steric congestion of the active site.
Related Concept Videos
Ziegler–Natta Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Acyclic Diene Metathesis (ADMET)
Similar to cross-metathesis, ADMET also involves the formation of metallacyclobutane intermediate by [2+2] cycloaddition of one of the double bonds of a terminal diene with...
[4+2] Cycloaddition of Conjugated Dienes: Diels–Alder Reaction
Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Overview
Ruthenium-based Grubbs catalyst is the most commonly used catalyst for olefin metathesis polymerization. Grubbs catalyst consists of a...
Cycloaddition Reactions: Overview
Structure of Conjugated Dienes
Conjugated dienes are compounds characterized by the presence of alternating double and single bonds. In a conjugated system like 1,3-butadiene, the unhybridized 2p orbital on each carbon overlaps continuously, allowing the π electrons to be delocalized across the entire molecule. In contrast, this type of overlap does not occur in cumulated and isolated dienes, such as 2,3-pentadiene and 1,4-pentadiene, respectively. Instead, the π electrons remain localized between the double...

