The neutral κ(2)N,O-salicylaldiminato Ni(II) complexes [κ(2)N,O-{(2,6-(3',5'-R2C6H3)2C6H3-N═C(H)-(3,5-I2-2-O-C6H2)}]NiCH3(pyridine)] (1a-pyr, R = Me; 1b-pyr, R = Et; 1c-pyr, R = iPr) convert ethylene to hyperbranched low-molecular-weight oligomers (Mn ca. 1000 g mol(-1)) with high productivities. While all three catalysts are capable of generating hyperbranched structures, branching densities decrease significantly with the nature of the remote substituent along Me > Et > iPr and oligomer molecular weights increase. Consequently, only 1a-pyr forms hyperbranched structures over a wide range of reaction conditions (ethylene pressure 5-30 atm and 20-70 °C). An in situ catalyst system achieves similar activities and identical highly branched oligomer microstructures, eliminating the bottleneck given by the preparation and isolation of Ni-Me catalyst precursor species. Selective introduction of one primary carboxylic acid ester functional group per highly branched oligoethylene molecule was achieved by isomerizing ethoxycarbonylation and alternatively cross metathesis with ethyl acrylate followed by hydrogenation. The latter approach results in complete functionalization and no essential loss of branched oligomer material and molecular weight, as the reacting double bonds are close to a chain end. Reduction yielded a monoalcohol-functionalized oligomer. Introduction of one reactive epoxide group per branched oligomer occurs completely and selectively under mild conditions. All reaction steps involved in oligomerization and monofunctionalization are efficient and readily scalable.

A combined theoretical and experimental study shows how weak attractive interactions of a neighboring group can strongly promote chain walking and chain transfer. This accounts for the previously observed very different microstructures obtained in ethylene polymerization by [κ-N,O-{2,6-(3',5'-RCH)CH-N═C(H)-(3,5-X,Y-2-O-CH)}NiCH(pyridine)], namely hyperbranched oligomers for remote substituents R = CH versus high-molecular-weight polyethylene for R = CF. From a full mechanistic consideration, the alkyl olefin complex with the growing chain cis to the salicylaldiminato oxygen donor is identified as the key species. Alternative to ethylene chain growth by insertion in this species, decoordination of the monomer to form a cis β-agostic complex provides an entry into branching and chain-transfer pathways. This release of monomer is promoted and made competitive by a weak η-coordination of the distal aryl rings to the metal center, operative only for the case of sufficiently electron-rich aryls. This concept for controlling chain walking is underlined by catalysts with other weakly coordinating furan and thiophene motifs, which afford highly branched oligomers with >120 branches per 1000 carbon atoms.