The bis(phenolate) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) lanthanide complexes [Ln(L) 2 M] (L = 1,3-bis[O-4,6-di-tBu-C 6 H 2 -2-CH 2 ][C(NCH 2 CH 2 N)], M = Li, Ln = Nd (1a); M = K, Ln= Nd (2a), Sm (2b), La (2c), Y (2d)) were synthesized by the reaction of L with KN(SiMe 3 ) 2 and Nd[N(SiMe 3 ) 2 ] 3 -μ-Cl-Li(THF) 3 or Ln[N(SiMe 3 ) 2 ] 3 (Ln = Nd, Sm, La, Y). The imidazolinium-bridged bis(phenolate) lanthanide complexes [Ln 2 (L3) 3 Cl 3 ] (L3 = 1,3-bis[O-4,6-di-tBu-C 6 H 2 -2-CH 2 ][CH(NCH 2 CH 2 N)] + Cl − , Ln = Sm (3a), Dy (3b), Er (3c)) were synthesized by the amine elimination reaction of L3 with Ln[N(SiMe 3 ) 2 ] 3 or Ln[N(SiMe 3 ) 2 ] 3 -μ-Cl-Li(THF) 3 . All complexes were characterized by elemental analysis. Complex 1a, 2a,c, and 3a−c were characterized by X-ray crystallography, and complexes 2c,d were characterized by 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy. The NHC complexes were efficient initiators for the ringopening polymerization (ROP) of L-lactide (L-LA), with 2a giving the best catalytic activity. Imidazolinium-bridged lanthanide complexes 3a−c were inert in the ROP of L-LA. The influences of ligand structural factors and the cooperative effects between metals and the reaction medium on the catalytic activity were discussed for the ROP of L-LA.
■ INTRODUCTIONN-heterocyclic carbene transition-metal complexes have exhibited remarkable success in areas such as metathesis and coupling reactions 1 and have showed enhanced catalytic activity in comparison to the phosphine analogues. The number of reviews on NHC lanthanides is far less than that for the transition-metal counterparts. 2 Recently, lanthanide complexes bearing an NHC ligand have attracted research interest, 3 and their catalytic uses are being described with increasing frequency. Pioneering work was carried out by Arduengo et al. in 1994, who synthesized the first NHC lanthanide complexes, 4 but most of the work has come out in the past decade. 5 Chelate NHCs with a pendent anionic functionalized group have undergone an upsurge of interest due to the ease of tuning their steric and electronic properties and the possibility of a reduced tendency for ligand dissociation, 6 which means stronger metal−NHC binding by chelating effects. Complexes supported by this class of NHCs show a constrained geometry. Moreover, lanthanide complexes bearing alkali metals are popular in lanthanide chemistry, since there is a cooperative effect between lanthanide and alkali metals, and they have potential in the area of homogeneous catalysis. 7 Most of the NHC ligands used have been five-membered functionalized imidazolylidenes due to the easy access of their precursors (imidazolium salts). Comparatively, functionalized imidazolidinylidene (the backbone of NHC is saturated) ligands, 8 which are common ligands for transition-metal complexes, are rarely seen used in lanthanide chemistry. Dagorne 6c,9 and Zi 10 etc. have reported the applications of bis(phenolate) NHC transition-metal complexes in the ROP of cyclic monomers; to the best of our knowledge, no bis-(phenolate) NHC...