Structural optimization of pyridine quinoxaline cobalt (II) catalysts for MMA polymerization based on systematical SCSC transformation study

The Schiff base condensation reaction was adopted to synthesize a series of pyridine-based quinoxaline ligands ( L1, L2, L3, L4 ) using 2-acetylpyridine and 1,2-phenylenediamine aromatic amines with different substituents of –OCH 3 , –F, -Cl, -Br. Then, four symmetrical dinuclear metal complexes ( 1–4 ) were obtained by coordination reaction of the synthesized ligands with CoCl 2 ·6H 2 O, and six unexpectedly systematic and novel solvent-involved asymmetric mononuclear metal complexes ( 1A-4A, 3B, 4B ) were obtained during single crystals cultivating by solvent diffusion method. The microscopic composition of the complexes were proved by a series of characterizations such as elemental analysis, IR and UV–vis. At the same time, by improving the single crystal culture technology, full crystal sample of compounds was obtained and X-ray single crystal diffraction showed a rare single crystal to single crystal structure transition (SCSC) phenomenon in this study. Furthermore, the catalytic properties of the complexes for MMA polymerization was explored, it was found that the catalytic activity of complexes 1–4 containing different types of substituents on pyridyl quinoxaline ligand was in the order of 1 < 2 < 3 < 4 , indicating that the complex with an electron-withdrawing substituent showed the higher activity than that of electron-donating substituent. Complexes 1A-4A, 3B and 4B showed higher catalytic activity in MMA polymerization than 1–4 , which confirmed that the catalytic activity of mononuclear complexes were generally higher than that of binuclear complexes.