Influence of Ligand Backbone Structure and Connectivity on the Properties of Phosphine-Sulfonate Pd(II)/Ni(II) Catalysts

Phosphine-sulfonate based palladium and nickel catalysts have been extensively studied in ethylene polymerization and copolymerization reactions. Previously, the majority of the research works focused on the modifications of the substituents on the phosphorous atom. In this contribution, we systematically demonstrated that the change of the ligand backbone from benzene to naphthalene could greatly improve the properties of this class of catalysts. In the palladium system, this change could increase catalyst stability and polyethylene molecular weights. In the nickel system, this change could dramatically increase the polyethylene molecular weights. Most interestingly, the change in the connectivity of phosphine and sulfonate moieties to the naphthalene backbone could also significantly influence the catalyst properties.