Catalytic and coordination facets of single-site non-metallocene organometallic catalysts with N-heterocyclic scaffolds employed in olefin polymerization

This review discusses the principles underlying mononucleating N-heterocyclic ligand design, selectivity of metal centers, preparation of organometallic catalysts with a N-heterocyclic backbone, and their catalytic activity in olefin oligo/polymerization. A vast number of N-heterocyclic organometallic compounds have been applied for the polymerization on account of their modest cost, low toxicity, and the large availability of transition metals in stable and variable oxidation states, which makes them versatile precursors for these reactions. The main points of focus in this review are the key advances made over more the past 25 years in the design and development of non-metallocene single-site organometallic catalysts bearing different N-heterocyclic scaffolds as a backbone. These catalysts are applied as precursors for the transformation of ethylene, higher α-olefins, and cyclic olefins into oligo/polymers. Emphasis is placed on the architecture of ligand peripheries for tuning the formed polymer properties and the consequences on product formation of different alkyl or aryl substituents directly attached to the metal center in a N-heterocyclic ligand system.

► The ligand design for the formation of single-site non-metallocene organometallic catalysts with N-heterocyclic scaffolds was explored.
► All possible modes of coordination of N-heterocycle based ligands towards transition metals were discussed.
► Catalytic activity was discussed with the special emphasis on ethylene oligomerizations/polymerizations.