Oxo complex [(1,5-COD)4Pt4(mu3-O)2Cl2](BF4)2 (1) reacts readily with ethylene and norbornylene. The ethylene reaction yields acetaldehyde and a 1:1 mixture of (1,5-COD)Pt(Cl)(CH2CH3) (2) and [(1,5-COD)Pt4(eta3-CH2CHCH(CH3))](BF4) (3), while the norbornylene reaction yields a platinaoxetane complex, the first metallaoxetane to be obtained from the reaction of an oxo complex and an alkene.

Copolymerization of ST (styrene) with EDM (ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) gives nonlinear polymers. The average molecular weight and polydispersity of copolymers composed of ST and EDM were measured using the GPC (gel permeation chromatography) technique, and an exponential increase in both quantities with reaction time was observed. 1 H and 13 C NMR spectra of the copolymers were taken to prove the structure and purity of the products and to calculate the composition and pendant content of the copolymers. The ratio of the pendant double bonds of the copolymers was determined from the 1 H NMR spectra. A remarkable increase in the ratio of the pendant double bonds with reaction time was observed. The mechanism for the chain propagation was studied and found to follow the terminal model. Reacitvity ratios were found to be r1 ) 0.452 ( 0.031 for monomer ST and r2 ) 0.297 ( 0.027 for monomer EDM. According to the size distribution of the copolymers measured by DLS (dynamic light scattering) and the average radii of gyration measured by SLS (static light scattering) techniques, the samples showed strong polydispersity and an increase in molecular size with reaction time. Unusually high molecular weight values were observed after a certain reaction time.

The Pt(II) complexes (1,5-COD)Pt(OTf)2 and [(COD)Pt(THF)(OTf)]OTf react readily with alkenes (ethylene, cyclopentene, norbornenes) to give coupling products via HOTf elimination. With propylene a simple allyl complex is obtained.

Organometallic oligomeric compounds with dual-headed structure R’-(M-R-) n M-R’ were developed enabling the synthesis of triblock polyolefins. The compounds comprise divalent linkers (R) derived from trivinylcyclohexane between two main group metals and norbornyl capping groups (R’). Due to the difference in steric hindrance, the chain transfer reaction in polymerization selectively involves the less hindered M–R bond, resulting in growth of polymer chains only from the R linker group with metals on both ends. The metal-terminated polymer can be further functionalized to form telechelic polymers or used in coordinative chain transfer polymerization to produce various triblock polyolefins. This paper presents the synthetic strategy and demonstrates the production of triblock polymers using the compounds in a scalable continuous solution polymerization process.

Reversible alkene extrusion from platinaoxetanes has been observed. Catalytic amounts of electrophilic Pt complexes, HOTf, Ag+, or BF3 (best) result in dramatic rate enhancements.