In this article, (Ph2P)2N(cyclopentyl) ligands were prepared. The catalyst system that consists of main catalyst acetylacetone chromium (Cr(acac)3), cocatalyst triethyaluminium (TEA), ligands composited with 2,5-dimmethylpyrrole (DMP) and (Ph2P)2N(cyclopentyl) was used to trimerize ethylene to 1-hexene. The catalytic activity and selectivity of ethylene trimerization were studied under various reaction conditions (reaction temperature, ethylene pressure and cocatalysts). It was found that the Cr(acac)3/TEA/(Ph2P)2N(cyclopentyl) · (DMP) catalytic system catalyzed ethylene trimerization in situ, which gave an activity of 273.83 kg/gCr h−1, selectivity of 95.74%, and a spot of PE at 50 °C and 5 MPa ethylene pressure. TEA was an effective cocatalyst for ethylene trimerization. Compared with a single ligand such as (Ph2P)2N(cyclopentyl) or DMP, the composite ligands combined their respective advantages.
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