Ethylene polymerization promoted by nickel complexes

The nickel complexes are of special relevance to catalysis for ethylene oligomerization and polymerization. Beyond the famous commercial SHOP process for ethylene oligomerization, among recent progress of nickel catalysts, various nickel complexes containing different ligands such as the bidentate and tridentate ligands are of interest. In contrast to the importance of hetereogeneous catalysis, the homogeneous catalyst is a small share for polyolefins, while the well-defined complexes affect the microstructure of the resultant polyolefin. The nickel catalysts often perform ethylene activations for inner olefins and the branched polyethylene with broad or bimodal molecular weight distribution. The catalytic behavior will be affected by adaptation of ligands coordinating around the nickel center. In addition, the auxiliary ligand Ph₃P can improve the catalytic activity by one order of magnitude, and its active center can be confirmed through isolating and characterizing the reliable intermediate. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Thio-Pybox and Thio-Phebox complexes of chromium, iron, cobalt and nickel and their application in ethylene and butadiene polymerisation catalysis

A series of bis(thiazolinyl)- and bis(thiazolyl)pyridine Thio-Pybox ligands and their metal complexes of chromium(III), iron(II), cobalt(II) and nickel(II) has been prepared, as well as a nickel(II) complex containing a monoanionic bis(thiazolinyl)phenyl Thio-Phebox ligand. These new metal complexes have been characterised and used as catalysts, in combination with the co-catalyst MAO, for the polymerisation of ethylene and for the polymerisation of butadiene. In the case of ethylene polymerisation, the Thio-Pybox and Thio-Phebox metal complexes have shown relatively low polymerisation activities, much lower compared to the related bis(imino)pyridine complexes of the same metals. In the polymerisation of butadiene, several Thio-Pybox cobalt(II) complexes show very high activities, significantly higher than the other metal complexes with the same ligand. It is the metal, rather than the ligand, that appears to have the most profound effect on the catalytic activity in butadiene polymerisation, unlike in the polymerisation of ethylene, where bis(imino)pyridine ligands provide highly active catalysts for a range of 1st row transition metals.     

Synthesis of benzoxazolylpyridine nickel complexes and their efficient dimerization of ethylene to alpha-butene

A series of new nickel complexes bearing benzoxazolylpyridines was synthesized and characterized by FT-IR spectroscopic and elemental analysis. The molecular structures of two representative complexes were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The complex [NiCl2[2-(2-benzoxazolyl)-6-methylpyridine]] (5) is a centrosymmetric dinuclear compound with two penta-coordinated Ni(II) centers, whereas the complex [NiCl2[2-(5-methyl-2-benzoxazolyl)-6-methylpyridine}] (6) is mononuclear exhibiting a distorted octahedral-coordination geometry around the nickel atom. Upon activation with diethylaluminium chloride (Et2AlCl), all the complexes exhibited moderate to good catalytic activity for ethylene oligomerization (27-415 g mmol(-1)(Ni) h(-1) bar(-1)) with high selectivity for ethylene dimerization to form alpha-butene. The observed variance in the catalytic activities of the complexes is attributed to the different ligand environments and effects of reaction parameters.     

镍配合物催化乙烯齐聚和聚合的进展

继SHOP催化体系采用镍配合物催化乙烯齐聚制备端烯烃在研究和应用中获得成功以来,由于后过渡金属上容易产生β-氢消除反应,镍配合物催化乙烯的研究搁置了近二十年。然而,近十年里,镍配合物催化乙烯齐聚和聚合研究再次受到催化剂研究者的重视,进入了飞速发展的新时期。本文综述近三年间这个领域的发展,特别是我国学者在这个领域的贡献,展示了镍配合物在乙烯齐聚和乙烯聚合制备支化聚烯烃中的巨大潜力,促进该领域研究的发展。     

Synthesis and application of bidentate nickel complexes bearing hyperbranched salicylaldimine ligands in ethylene oligomerization

Three bidentate salicylaldimine nickel complexes containing different long-chain alkyl groups in their ligand backbone were synthesized in good yield. All the bidentate salicylaldimine ligands and their nickel complexes were fully characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, UV spectroscopies, and mass spectrometry. Three bidentate nickel complexes were evaluated as catalyst precursors in ethylene oligomerization. Upon activation with methylaluminoxane (MAO), the catalytic activity was 5.75 × 10⁵ g/(mol Ni·h) and the oligomers were mainly butenes (52.10%) and octenes (32.63%) for bidentate nickel complex with 1-tetradecyl as core in the ligand backbone (R₁₄-complex) using toluene as solvent. However, bidentate nickel complex with 1-octadecyl as core in the ligand backbone (R₁₈-complex) produced mainly octenes (59.38%) and C10 + olefins (29.01%) and the catalytic activity was 2.23 × 10⁵ g/(mol Ni·h). After activation with ethylaluminum sesquichloride (EASC) in toluene, three nickel complexes yielded mainly C10 + products which contained Friedel-Craft alkylated-toluene, and their catalytic activities were above 1.5 × 10⁶ g/(mol Ni·h). For the bidentate salicylaldimine nickel catalysts with hyperbranched molecules as ligand backbones, the solvent and the reaction conditions had a large effect on catalytic activity as well as oligomerization distribution except the structure of the catalyst and the co-catalyst.     

Novel dendrimer-based nickel catalyst: synthesis,characterization and performance in ethylene oligomerization

A novel nickel metallodendrimer was synthesized with poly(amidoamine), 3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxy-benzaldehyde and nickel chloride via the Schiff’s base and the complexation reactions. Structures of the dendritic ligand and its nickel complex were characterized by IR, NMR, UV, ESI-MS and elemental analyses. This new nickel metallodendrimer as a catalyst precursor, together with methylaluminoxane as an activator, was evaluated in the ethylene oligomerization. Under the conditions of 0.5 h, 0.5 MPa, 25°C and Al/Ni mole ratio 500: 1 employed for the nickel complex, the catalytic activity showed a maximum value of 4.93 × 10⁵ grams per mole of Ni catalyst per hour. Substituents on the benzene ring seem to have a negative influence on the catalytic activity of the complex.     

Synthesis,Characterization and Ethylene Oligomerization Behavior of Neutral Nickel Complexes Bearing N‐Fluorinated Phenyl Salicylaldiminato Chelate Ligands

A series of neutral nickel complexes featuring N‐fluorinated phenyl salicylaldiminato chelate ligands was synthesized, and the novel molecular structure of complex C14 was further confirmed by X‐ray crystallographic analysis. The neutral nickel complexes showed high activity up to 9.96×10⁵ g oligomers/(mol Ni·h) and high selectivity of C₆ in catalyzing ethylene oligomerization using methylaluminoxane (MAO) as cocatalyst. It was observed that the strong electron‐withdrawing effect of the fluorinated salicylaldiminato ligand was able to significantly increase the catalytic activity for oligomerization of ethylene. In addition, the influence of reaction parameters such as Al/Ni molar ratio, reaction temperature, a variety of cocatalyst and ethylene pressure on catalytic activity was investigated.     

Large‐ring P/O chelate nickel complex catalyzed oligomerization of ethylene to linear α‐olefins

1,1‐(Bicyclononyl‐9‐phosphino)hendecanoic acid and potassium 1,1‐(biscyclohexylphosphino)­hendecylate were synthesized. A model nickel complex [η³−C₈H₁₃]Ni[(C₈H₁₄)P(CH₂)₁₀COO] containing a 14‐membered chelate ring was also synthesized. The catalytic activity of this large chelate ring nickel complex for the oligomerization of ethylene was studied and compared with that of six‐membered ring chelate nickel complexes. The influence of the chelate ring was rationalized in terms of intramolecular rotation. The 14‐membered ring P/O chelate nickel complex was shown to have efficient catalytic activity for the oligomerization of ethylene to α‐olefins. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ethylene homopolymerization with P,O-chelated nickel catalysts

Abstraction of phosphine from the nickel(II) P, O-chelated complexes, Ni[Ph₂PCH?C(Ph)O] (Ph)(PPh₃), and related species converts them from olefin oligomerization to olefin polymerization catalysts. Phosphine acceptors such as Rh(acetylacetonate)(C₂H₄)₂ or Ni(1,5-cyclooctadiene)₂ are most effective. Alternatively, nickel complexes in which the phosphine ligand is replaced with weakly coordinated pyridine can be prepared. These active, homogeneous catalysts can be tuned to give either low or high molecular weight, linear low or high density polyethylene. Depending on the diluent, the same catalytic complex can be used as heterogeneous or homogeneous catalyst. They are tolerant of oxygenated, hydroxylic, or polar molecules that would poison normal early transition metal-based Ziegler-Natta catalysts. In fact, the polymerizations can be run in solvents such as ethanol or acetone, but hydrocarbon solvents are preferred.     

Bridged bis-pyridinylimino dinickel(II) complexes: Syntheses, characterization, ethylene oligomerization and polymerization

A series of bridged bis(pyridinylimino) ligands were efficiently synthesized through the condensation reaction of 4,4′-methylene-bis(2,6-disubstituted aniline) with 2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde or 2-benzoylpyridine. They reacted with (DME)NiBr₂ to form dinuclear Ni(II) complexes. All resultant compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra as well as the single-crystal X-ray diffraction to confirm the structures of ligands and complexes. Activated with methylaluminoxane (MAO), these nickel complexes showed considerably good activities for ethylene oligomerization and polymerization. Their catalytic activities and the properties of PEs obtained were depended on the arched environment of ligand and reaction conditions.     

镍配合物催化乙烯低聚/聚合的研究进展

催化乙烯低聚或聚合的镍配合物催化剂研究,不仅帮助提供探索乙烯配位聚合机理的催化剂模型,更为重要的帮助探讨不同催化剂模型下的催化剂活性和选择性,为工业界寻找具有潜在应用价值的高效催化剂奠定基础.同时,利用镍配合物催化剂容易导致所得聚烯烃树脂产生支链的特点,有望制备具有优异性能的支化聚烯烃树脂.本文综述了近年来镍配合物在乙烯低聚或聚合催化剂研究方面的进展,并特别强调了催化剂结构和催化性能之间的内在规律.     

过渡金属乙烯齐聚与聚合催化剂研究进展

综述了近年来过渡金属配合物催化乙烯齐聚与聚合的最新进展;介绍了乙烯齐聚或聚合的反应时间、反应温度、乙烯压力、助催化剂用量等反应条件及配体上不同取代基对前过渡金属(铬,锆,钛,钒)和后过渡金属(铁,钴,镍,铜)配合物的催化活性和齐聚或聚合产物的影响;分别以钛和镍配合物催化剂为例,介绍了前过渡金属和后过渡金属催化乙烯齐聚或聚合的机理。     

多氮螯合配位后过渡金属络合物烯烃聚合催化剂

A2二亚胺镍、钯络合物和吡啶二亚胺铁、钴络合物是近几年来发现的新一代烯烃均相聚合后过渡金属催化剂。这类催化剂具有活性高、选择性易调变、聚合物性质可控制的特点, 尤其是对官能团中的杂原子的稳定性方面优于前过渡金属催化剂。本文将近年来的有关报道归纳为4 个方面进行评述: 络合物的合成和结构; 配体结构因素对络合物催化性能的影响; 催化烯烃高聚、齐聚和共聚以及催化反应机理。     

Facile synthesis of sterically demanding SHOP‐type nickel catalysts for ethylene polymerization

The P,O‐chelated shell higher olefin process (SHOP) type nickel complexes are practical homogeneous catalysts for the industrial preparation of linear low‐carbon α‐olefins from ethylene. We describes that a facile synthetic route enables the modulation of steric hindrance and electronic nature of SHOP‐type nickel complexes. A series of sterically bulky SHOP‐type nickel complexes with variable electronic nature, {[4‐R‐C₆H₄C(O) = C‐PArPh]NiPh (PPh₃); Ar = 2‐[2′,6′‐(OMe)₂C₆H₃]C₆H₄; R = H ( Ni1 ); R = OMe ( Ni2 ); R = CF₃ ( Ni3 )}, were prepared and used as single component catalysts toward ethylene polymerization without using any phosphine scavenger. These nickel catalysts exhibit high thermal stability during ethylene polymerization and result in highly crystalline linear α‐olefinic solid polymer. The catalytic performance of the SHOP‐type nickel complexes was significantly improved by introducing a bulky ortho‐biphenyl group on the phosphorous atom or an electron‐withdrawing trifluoromethyl on the backbone of the ligand, indicating steric and electronic effects play critical roles in SHOP‐type nickel complexes catalyzed ethylene polymerization.     

Synthesis and application of chromium complexes bearing hyperbranched PNP ligands in the ethylene oligomerization

Series of hyperbranched PNP ligands ( L1 – L3 ) were prepared using three low-generation hyperbranched molecules with the same branching chains and functional groups but different alkyl chain length as backbones in a mixed solvent of acetonitrile and dichloromethane. The chromium complexes ( Cr1 – Cr3 ) were obtained by reacting with CrCl₃(THF)₃ and the corresponding ligands ( L1 – L3 ). Both L1 – L3 and Cr1 – Cr3 were characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared and electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry as well as ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and ³¹P NMR measurements in the case of the ligands. When activated with different aluminum co-catalysts, all three chromium complexes were able to catalyze the ethylene oligomerization, but the products of the ethylene oligomerization were mainly dependent on ethylene pressure, co-catalyst and ligand backbone. Upon activation with methylaluminoxane, the catalytic activity and the selectivity of C8 olefin increased with increasing of ethylene pressure for Cr1 , the catalytic activity was 13.83 × 10⁵ g·(mol Cr·h)⁻¹ and the main product was C8 olefin (50.68%) at the ethylene pressure of 4.0 MPa. When activated with diethylaluminium chloride, ethylaluminium dichloride and ethylaluminum sesquichloride, Cr1 showed the lower catalytic activity and the higher selectivity of C4 olefin in toluene. An increase in the length of alkyl chain in the hyperbranched PNP ligand backbone caused a decrease in the catalytic activity and an increase in the selectivity of C8 + olefin. The PNP chromium complexes exhibited higher selectivity for higher carbon number olefins compared with the dendritic PNP chromium complex ( Cr5 ).     

β-二亚胺基Ni(Ⅱ)配合物的合成及其催化乙烯聚合研究

合成了一系列带有不同取代基的β-二亚胺配体及其Ni(Ⅱ)的配合物.利用核磁共振谱、元素分析和单晶X射线衍射等手段对配体及配合物进行了表征.元素分析和单晶结构分析表明,在相同的实验条件下苯基取代的β-二亚胺配体锂盐与NiCl2反应只能得到双配体化合物1;而2,6-二甲基苯基及2,6-二异丙基苯基取代的配体锂盐与NiCl2反应得二聚的单氯化物2和3,2个Ni原子通过双氯桥连接在一起.配合物2和3经烷基铝活化后催化乙烯聚合可得到高分子量聚乙烯,活性可达到2.0×105gPE/(molcat·h),分子量最高可达到100万以上.     

Nickel complexes bearing 2-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)-phenoxy ligands: Synthesis, characterization and ethylene oligomerization

A series of 2-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)-phenols and their nickel complexes have been synthesized and characterized by elemental and spectroscopic analysis. The molecular structures of ligand L4 and complex C5 were confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that complex C5 has a six-coordinated distorted octahedral geometry. Upon activation with Et₂AlCl, these nickel(II) complexes showed good activity for ethylene oligomerization. When PPh₃ was added as an auxiliary ligand to the catalytic system, an increased activity as high as 1.60 × 10⁷ g mol⁻¹ (Ni) h⁻¹ was observed. The ligand environment and reaction conditions remarkably affected the catalytic behavior of these nickel complexes.     

水杨醛亚胺镍配合物催化乙烯与甲基丙烯酸甲酯的共聚反应

以4种基于水杨醛亚胺配体的镍配合物bis[N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)salicylaldiminate]-nickel(Ⅱ)(C1), bis[N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3-methylsalicylaldiminate]-nickel(Ⅱ)(C2), bis[N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3-isopropylsalicylaldiminate]-nickel(Ⅱ)(C3)和[N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3-isopropylsalicylaldiminate]-nickel(Ph)(PPh₃)(C4)为催化剂, 在甲基铝氧烷(MAO)作用下, 对乙烯与甲基丙烯酸甲酯(MMA)进行催化共聚. 以C3为模型催化剂, 研究了Al/Ni摩尔比、 聚合温度、 聚合时间等对共聚反应的影响. 在最佳的聚合条件下, 探索了不同的催化剂结构对共聚反应的影响. 结果表明, 对于双(水杨醛亚胺)镍配合物, C2的活性高于C1和C3, 为13.1 kg/(mol Ni·h), 而C3的插入率最低, 为14.1%. 对于具有相同配体不同结构的配合物C3和C4, 含双水杨醛亚胺配体的C3的催化活性高于含单水杨醛亚胺配体的C4, 而两者在共聚单体MMA的插入率方面差别不大. 对所得共聚物微观结构和热性能进行了表征.     

Highly active methyl methacrylate polymerization catalysts obtained from bis(3,5‐dinitro‐salicylaldiminate)nickel(II) complexes and methylaluminoxane

The homopolymerization of methyl methacrylate was investigated with bis(salicylaldiminate)nickel(II) complexes, such as bis[3,5‐dinitro‐N(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)salicylaldiminate]nickel(II) ( IIIa ) and bis[3,5‐dinitro‐N(phenyl)salicylaldiminate]nickel(II) ( IIIb ), and with methylaluminoxane (MAO) as an activator. In particular, the effect of the Al/Ni molar ratio on the catalytic activity and on the properties of the resulting poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was checked. The maximum activity was ascertained when an Al/Ni molar ratio equal to about 100 was used. However, the productivity of the catalytic systems was rather low. When the IIIa /MAO catalytic system was prepared under an ethylene atmosphere, an extremely high activity was observed, a productivity value of up to around 150,000 g of PMMA/(mol of Ni × h) being obtained, the highest ever found with nickel‐based catalysts. No appreciable presence of ethylene counits in the polymeric products was also ascertained. When the IIIb /MAO system was used, similar results were found, and high molecular weight PMMAs were obtained, despite the absence of bulky isopropyl substituents in positions ortho and ortho′ to the N‐aryl moiety of the salicylaldiminate ligand. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 2117–2124, 2003     

乙烯齐聚过程生成癸烯的催化体系研究进展

癸烯作为有机合成的基础原料,是现代化工生产中不可或缺且用量逐年增加的长链烯烃之一,目前工业上还没有一条采用乙烯齐聚法直接生产癸烯的工艺路线。乙烯通过齐聚反应可以制备长链烯烃,本文针对乙烯齐聚生成癸烯的反应,详细地阐述了国内外Cr催化体系的研究现状和取得的研究成果,包括催化剂的结构对产物癸烯选择性的影响、乙烯齐聚过程中发生乙烯、己烯共聚生成癸烯的聚合反应机理等;同时阐述了用于乙烯齐聚反应的Ni催化体系的研究现状,包括催化剂的结构与癸烯选择性之间的关系,配体树枝状大分子的结构对癸烯选择性的影响等。此外,还介绍了Fe、Ti、Zr等其他催化体系在催化乙烯齐聚生成癸烯方面所取得的研究进展,目的是为开发癸烯催化剂提供理论依据。