The synthesis of tetrabenzo[a,c,g,i]fluorenyl (Tbf) yttrium dialkyl complexes, (Tbf)Y(CH2SiMe3)2(L) (L = tetrahydrofuran (THF), 1; L = bipy, 2), by direct protonolysis of the tris(alkyl) complex, Y(CH2SiMe3)3(THF)2, are reported. The X-ray crystal structures of 1 and 2 display the helical twisting typically observed for the Tbf ligand. Dynamic nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies on 1 show a barrier to Tbf helical inversion (epimerization or “wagging”) of 38.1 ± 0.5 kJ mol−1. The reaction of 1 with acidic hydrocarbons such as 1,3-bis(trimethylsilyl)cyclopentadiene or trimethylsilylacetylene results in protonolysis to form the mixed Cp derivative [(Tbf){C5H3(SiMe3)2}Y(CH2SiMe3)(THF)] (3) or [(Tbf)Y(CCSiMe3)2(THF)]n (4), respectively. In the case of 4, a small amount of the trinuclear cluster (Tbf)Y3(μ3-CCSiMe3)2(μ2-CCSiMe3)3(CCSiMe3)3(THF)2 (5) was isolated and characterized by X-ray crystallography. Dialkyl 1 undergoes smooth insertion of trimethylsilyl isocyanate to afford [(Tbf)Y{κ2-(N,O)-Me3SiN(Me3SiCH2)CO}2(THF)] (6) but it does not react with alkenes. Treating 1 with [Ph3C]+[B(C6F5)4]− in bromobenzene generates a moderately active ethylene polymerization catalyst (36 kg mol−1 h−1 bar−1).
X-ray nanotomography uncovers morphological heterogeneity in a polymerization catalyst at multiple reaction stages