Oligomerization of 1-butene with a homogeneous catalyst system based on allylic nickel complexes

Abstract

The oligomerization of 1-butene with a nickel-based catalyst system constitutes an elegant synthesis method for obtaining linear octenes from readily available chemicals. It is well known that the bis-(cyclooctadiene)nickel(0)-complex (Ni(COD)₂) can be used in combination with 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetone (hfacac) forming [Ni-1] as a catalyst for the dimerization of 1-butene, which produces a linear octene yield of 75–83% at reaction temperatures between 70–80 °C. We are the first to demonstrate that it is also possible to use allylic nickel complexes in combination with hfacac to produce linear octenes with a selectivity of 70% under very mild reaction conditions and at low catalyst concentrations. Additionally the catalyst can be formed simply by adding the activator hfacac to a solution of the allylic nickel complex. No complicated synthesis or purification is needed.