Phenoxide and alkoxide complexes of Mg, Al and Zn, and their use for the ring-opening polymerization of ∊-caprolactone with initiators of different natures

A new packing polymorph of bis(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenolato-κO)bis(tetrahydrofuran-κO)magnesium, [Mg(C15H23O)2(C4H8O)2] or Mg(BHT)2(THF)2, (BHT is the 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenoxide anion and THF is tetrahydrofuran), (1), has the same space group (P21) as the previously reported modification [Nifant'ev et al. (2017d). Dalton Trans. 46, 12132–12146], but contains three crystallographically independent molecules instead of one. The structure of (1) exhibits rotational disorder of the tert-butyl groups and positional disorder of a THF ligand. The complex of bis(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenolato-κO)bis(μ2-ethyl glycolato-κ2 O,O′:κO)dimethyldialuminium, [Al2(CH3)2(C4H7O3)2(C15H23O)2] or [(BHT)AlMe(OCH2COOEt)]2, (2), is a dimer located on an inversion centre and has an Al2O2 rhomboid core. The 2-ethoxy-2-oxoethanolate ligand (OCH2COOEt) displays a μ2-κ2 O,O′:κO semi-bridging coordination mode, forming a five-membered heteronuclear Al–O–C–C–O ring. The same ligand exhibits positional disorder of the terminal methyl group. The redetermined structure of the heptanuclear complex octakis(μ3-benzyloxo-κO:κO:κO)hexaethylheptazinc, [Zn7(C2H5)6(C7H7O)8] or [Zn7(OCH2Ph)8Et6], (3), possesses a bicubic Zn7O8 core located at an inversion centre and demonstrates positional disorder of one crystallographically independent phenyl group. Cambridge Structural Database surveys are given for complexes structurally analogous to (2) and (3). Complexes (2) and (3), as well as derivatives of (1), are of interest as catalysts for the ring-opening polymerization of ∊-caprolactone, and polymerization results are reported.