Previously, a cationic cobalt catalyst with a trimethylphosphite ligand successfully dimerized 1-hexene to 1-dodecene. Unfortunately, due to the steric bulk of the supporting phosphite ligand, the catalyst did not yield a favourable product distribution, with undesired 1,2 insertion dominating. In this presentation, the syntheses of p-methoxyphenyl-, tolyl-, phenyl-, and bromophenyl-isocyanide and the conditions for their mono-coordination to Cp*Co(ethene)2 will be presented. Subsequent activation of these cobalt species with HBArF and the ability of the cationic complexes to dimerize olefins will be discussed.

Synthesis and coordination of various phenylisocyanide ligands to a cobalt precataylst for dimerization of linear alpha olefins

255th National Meeting (2018)

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