Solvent Dependence of the Structure of Ethylzinc Acetate and Its Application in CO2/Epoxide Copolymerization

NMR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments indicate that the ligand stoichiometry of the complexes formed from the reaction between zinc bis(acetate) and diethylzinc depends on the nature of the solvent (coordinating vs noncoordinating) and that the strength of the donor interaction of a coordinating solvent (THF vs pyridine) affects the nuclearity of the complex's repeat unit in the solid state. The complexes are active catalysts for the copolymerization of cyclohexene oxide and CO2, under mild conditions.