Development of New Chiral Lanthanide Complexes and their Use in the Catalytic Stereoselective Polymerization of alpha-Alkenes and Lactides

• Applicant: Dr. Lenka Lukesová
• Subject Area: Inorganic Molecular Chemistry - Synthesis and Characterisation
• Term: from 2006 to 2007
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 30348438

The key aim of this project will be to establish a new class of lanthanide catalysts for olefin polymerization as well as lactide and lactone polymerization, which is based on the C3-chiral tripodal tris(oxazolyl)ethane ¿Trisox¿ ligand. The planned activities will be initially centred on the systematic synthesis of trialkyl-lanthanide complexes bearing the Trisox ligand. These will then be converted to dialkylmonocations and - if possible - to monoalkyldications, which are thought to be possible active species in olefin polymerization. Elucidation of the reaction mechanism of the Ln-catalyzed polymerization on the basis of detailed kinetic studies as well as attempts to characterize reaction intermediates will be an important aim of this work. The investigations of the new neutral and cationic lanthanide complexes will be extended to the copolymerization of two monomers. Using closely related C3-chiral lanthanide borohydride complexes as catalysts, the stereoselective ring opening polymerization of lactides will be explored. Particular emphasis will be placed on their use in kinetic resolutions of racemic monomers, such as rac-lactide, and the generation of block copolymers of both enantiomeric monomer building blocks.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• Host: Professor Dr. Lutz H. Gade