Crystal structure and catalytic activity of tetrakis(μ2-ethyl 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenyl phosphato-κ2O:O′)bis(ethyl 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenyl phosphato-κ2O,O′)dilutetium n-heptane disolvate

• Main Authors: Mikhail E. Minyaev, Alexander N. Tavtorkin, Sof'ya A. Korchagina, Ilya E. Nifant'ev, Andrei V. Churakov
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: International Union of Crystallography 2018-04-01
• Series: Acta Crystallographica Section E: Crystallographic Communications
• Subjects: crystal structure; lutetium; organophosphate; binuclear complex; coordination compound; acrylonitrile polymerization
• Online Access: http://scripts.iucr.org/cgi-bin/paper?S2056989018004565
• ISSN: 2056-9890

The title complex, [Lu2(C17H28O4P)6]·2C7H16, was formed in the reaction between potassium 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenyl ethyl phosphate, [K(2,6-tBu2-4-MeC6H2-O)(EtO)PO2], and LuCl3(H2O)6 in water, followed by vacuum drying and recrystallization from heptane. Its crystal structure has triclinic (P\overline{1}) symmetry at 120 K. The lutetium tris(phosphate) complex has a binuclear [Lu2(μ-OPO)4] core and the organophosphate ligand exhibits κ2O,O′ terminal and μ2-κ1O:κ1O′ bridging coordination modes with the LuIII ion being sixfold coordinated. The complex is of interest as a precatalyst in the acrylonitrile polymerization process and displays good catalytic activity under mild conditions.