Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 6, 2025
Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates
Published on: February 15, 2016
Ethylene Tetramerisation: A Structure-Selectivity Correlation
Boitumelo F Makume1,2, Cedric W Holzapfel1, Munaka C Maumela1,2
1Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Kingsway Campus, Aucklandpark, 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Abstract:
The effect of ethylene tetramerisation ligand structures on 1-octene selectivity is well studied. However, by-product formation is less understood. In this work, a range of PNP ligand structures are correlated with the full product selectivity and with catalyst activity. As steric bulk on the N-substituent increases, the product selectivity shifts from >10 % to < 3% of both C6 cyclics and C16+ by-products. 1-Octene peaks at ca. 70%. Thereafter, only 1-hexene increases. Similar selectivity changes were observed for ortho-Ph-substituted PNP ligands. The C10-14 selectivity was less affected by the ligand structure. The ligand effect on the changes in selectivity is explained mechanistically. Lastly, an increase in ligand steric bulk was found to improve catalyst activity and reduce polymer formation by an order of magnitude. It is proposed that steric bulk promotes formation of cationic catalytic species which are responsible for selective ethylene oligomerisation.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:34Regioselectivity and Stereochemistry of Acid-Catalyzed Hydration
02:52Stereoisomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula.
Transition metal complexes often exist as geometric isomers, in which the same atoms are connected through the same types of bonds but with differences in their orientation in space. Coordination complexes with two different ligands in the cis and trans positions from a ligand of interest form isomers. For example, the octahedral [Co(NH3)4Cl2]+ ion has two isomers (Figure 1) In the cis...
02:17Regioselectivity of Electrophilic Additions to Alkenes: Markovnikov's Rule
The hydrohalogenation of an unsymmetrical alkene can yield two haloalkane products, depending on which vinylic carbon takes up the halogen. However, one product usually predominates, where hydrogen adds to the vinylic carbon bearing the...
02:34Structural Isomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula. Structural isomerism of coordination compounds can be divided into two subcategories, the linkage isomers and coordination-sphere isomers.
Linkage isomers occur when the coordination compound contains a ligand that can bind to the transition metal center through two different atoms. For example, the CN− ligand can bind through the carbon atom or through the nitrogen atom. Similarly, SCN− can...
02:27Predicting Molecular Geometry
01:34Woodward–Hoffmann Selection Rules and Microscopic Reversibility