Phosphinimides as a Steric Equivalent to Cyclopentadienyl: An Approach to Ethylene Polymerization Catalyst Design

Complexes of the form (Cp†)TiCl2(NPR3) and the analogous dimethyl derivatives (Cp†)TiMe2(NPR3) have been prepared. These species in the presence of MAO, B(C6F5)3, or [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4] are active catalysts for ethylene polymerization.