Sodium cubane and double-cubane aggregates of hybridised salicylaldimines and their transmetallation to nickel for catalytic ethylene oligomerisation

Deprotonation of functional salicylaldimines with NaH invariably results in cubane or double-cubane Na(I) aggregates which transmetallate with Ni(II) under different stoichiometric conditions to give Ni(II) complexes that are catalytically active towards ethylene oligomerisation.