An amidinate ligand with a pendant amine functionality; synthesis of a vanadium(III) complex and ethene polymerization catalysis

A new type of amidinate ancillary ligand has been prepared, which incorpora tes a pendant tertiary amine functionality. The crystal structure of a vana dium(III) derivative, [SiMe3NC(Ph)NCH2CH2NMe2]VCl2(THF) (1), shows that the ligand can adopt a facial geometry, with an unusual distortion of the amid inate nitrogen bearing the pendant functionality. With AlEt2Cl cocatalyst t he compound 1 produces a single-site catalytic system for the polymerizatio n of ethene.