Novel Calcium Half-Sandwich Complexes for the Living and Stereoselective Polymerization of Styrene

Abstract

Tackling tacticity: The first well-defined heteroleptic benzylcalcium complex initiates the living polymerization of styrene. Chain-end control results in a polymer enriched in syndiotactic sequences. Stereo errors arise from fast inversion of the chiral carbanionic chain end. Increasing the styrene concentration accelerates the insertion and leads to a considerable reduction of the stereo errors.