Zinc anilido-oxazolinate complexes as initiators for ring opening polymerization

Abstract

Three new anilido-oxazolines, ortho-C6H4(NHAr ')(4,4-dimethyl-2-oxazoline) [Ar ' = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl, HNPh(TriMe)Oxa ( 1); 2,6-diisopropylphenyl, HNPh(DiiPr)Oxa( 2); 2-methoxyphenyl, HNPh(OMe)Oxa ( 3)], have been prepared. Reactions of 1 or 2 with one molar equivalent of ZnEt2 in tetrahydrofuran or hexane solution give the zinc ethyl complexes (NPh(TriMe)Oxa)ZnEt ( 4) and (NPh(DiiPr)Oxa)ZnEt ( 5). The dinuclear zinc benzyloxide complexes, [(NAr ' Oxa)Zn(mu-OBn)](2), [Ar ' = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl, ( 6); 2-methoxyphenyl, ( 7)], were synthesized by the reaction of 4 with one molar equivalent of benzyl alcohol in tetrahydrofuran solution ( for 6) or by treatment of 3 with one molar equivalent of ZnEt2 in tetrahydrofuran solution followed by the addition of one molar equivalent of benzyl alcohol ( for 7). The molecular structures are reported for compounds 6 and 7. Their catalytic activities toward the ring opening polymerization reactions are under investigation.