Silica Based Cocatalysts for Heterogeneous Olefin Dimerization and Ethene Polymerization Reactions with Nickel Complexes

Three-Component Synthesis of Substituted Perhydropyrans from β-Styrylmalonates, Aldehydes, and Alkoxyaluminum Dichlorides

A three-component synthesis of substituted dimethyl dihydro-2H-pyran-3,3(4H)-dicarboxylates in up to 80% yields by the reaction of β-styrylmalonates with aromatic or aliphatic aldehydes in the presence of ROAlCl2 prepared in advance either by exposure of EtAlCl2 with air access or by mixing equimolar amounts of AlCl3 with a primary or secondary alcohol has been developed. If EtAlCl2, itself, is used, dihydro-2H-pyran-3,3(4H)-diesters are not formed at all, while dimerization of styrylmalonates by (4 + 2)-annulation-type to give substituted tetrahydronaphthalenes is the main process. The possibility of using the CH-O-Al fragment of alkoxyaluminum dichlorides in cycloaddition reactions with α-CH-functionalization has been shown for the first time.

Designing Sites in Heterogeneous Catalysis: Are We Reaching Selectivities Competitive With Those of Homogeneous Catalysts?

A critical review of different prominent nanotechnologies adapted to catalysis is provided, with focus on how they contribute to the improvement of selectivity in heterogeneous catalysis. Ways to modify catalytic sites range from the use of the reversible or irreversible adsorption of molecular modifiers to the immobilization or tethering of homogeneous catalysts and the development of well-defined catalytic sites on solid surfaces. The latter covers methods for the dispersion of single-atom sites within solid supports as well as the use of complex nanostructures, and it includes the post-modification of materials via processes such as silylation and atomic layer deposition. All these methodologies exhibit both advantages and limitations, but all offer new avenues for the design of catalysts for specific applications. Because of the high cost of most nanotechnologies and the fact that the resulting materials may exhibit limited thermal or chemical stability, they may be best aimed at improving the selective synthesis of high value-added chemicals, to be incorporated in organic synthesis schemes, but other applications are being explored as well to address problems in energy production, for instance, and to design greener chemical processes. The details of each of these approaches are discussed, and representative examples are provided. We conclude with some general remarks on the future of this field.

Nickel Catalyzed Olefin Oligomerization and Dimerization

Brought to life more than half a century ago and successfully applied for high-value petrochemical intermediates production, nickel-catalyzed olefin oligomerization is still a very dynamic topic, with many fundamental questions to address and industrial challenges to overcome. The unique and versatile reactivity of nickel enables the oligomerization of ethylene, propylene, and butenes into a wide range of oligomers that are highly sought-after in numerous fields to be controlled. Interestingly, both homogeneous and heterogeneous nickel catalysts have been scrutinized and employed to do this. This rare specificity encouraged us to interlink them in this review so as to open up opportunities for further catalyst development and innovation. An in-depth understanding of the reaction mechanisms in play is essential to being able to fine-tune the selectivity and achieve efficiency in the rational design of novel catalytic systems. This review thus provides a complete overview of the subject, compiling the main fundamental/industrial milestones and remaining challenges facing homogeneous/heterogeneous approaches as well as emerging catalytic concepts, with a focus on the last 10 years.

Silica-Grafted Tris(neopentyl)aluminum: A Monomeric Aluminum Solid Co-catalyst for Efficient Nickel-Catalyzed Ethene Dimerization

A silica-supported monomeric alkylaluminum co-catalyst was prepared via surface organometallic chemistry by contacting tris(neopentyl)aluminum and partially dehydroxylated silica. This system, fully characterized by solid-state ²⁷ Al NMR spectroscopy augmented by computational studies, efficiently activates (ⁿ Bu₃ P)₂ NiCl₂ towards dimerization of ethene, demonstrating comparable activity to previously reported dimeric diethylaluminum chloride supported on silica. Three types of aluminum surface species have been identified: monografted tetracoordinated Al species as well as two types of bisgrafted Al species-tetra- and pentacoordinated. Of them, only the monografted Al species is proposed to be able to activate the (ⁿ Bu₃ P)₂ NiCl₂ complex and generate the active cationic species.