Ethylene polymerization with long‐lifetime monopendant thienyl‐substituted group 4 metallocenes

A series of group 4 metallocenes (RCp)[Cp―(bridge)―(2‐C₄H₃S)]MCl₂ [M = Ti ( C1 , C2 , C3 , C4 ); M = Zr ( C5 , C6 , C7 , C8 )] bearing a pendant thiophene group on a cyclopentadienyl ring have been synthesized, characterized and tested as catalyst precursors for ethylene polymerization. The molecular structures of representative titanocenes C2 and C4 were confirmed by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and revealed that both complexes exist in an expected coordination environment for a monomeric bent metallocene. No intramolecular coordination between the thiophene group and the titanium center could be observed in the solid state. Upon activation by methylaluminoxane (MAO), titanocenes C1 , C2 , C3 , C4 showed moderate catalytic activities and produced high‐ or ultra‐high‐molecular‐weight polyethylene (M_v 70.5–227.1 × 10⁴ g mol^?1). Titanocene C3 is more active and long‐lived, with a lifetime of nearly 9 h at 30 °C. At elevated temperatures of 80–110 °C, zirconocenes C5 , C6 , C7 , C8 displayed high catalytic activities (up to 27.6 × 10⁵ g PE (mol Zr)^?1 h^?1), giving high‐molecular‐weight polyethylene (M_v 11.2–53.7 × 10⁴ g mol^?1). Even at 80 °C, a long lifetime of at least 2 h was observed for the C8/MAO catalyst system. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of ethylene polymerization conditions on the activity of SiO2-supported zirconocene and on polymer properties

The effects of polymerization conditions were evaluated on the production of polyethylene by silica-supported (n-BuCp)₂ZrCl₂ grafted under optimized conditions and cocatalyzed by methylaluminoxane (MAO). The Al : Zr molar ratio, reaction temperature, monomer pressure, and the age and concentration of the catalyst were systematically varied. Most reactions were performed in toluene. Hexane, with the addition of triisobutilaluminum (TIBA) to MAO, was also tested as a polymerization solvent for both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalyst systems. Polymerization reactions in hexane showed their highest activities with MAO : TIBA ratios of 3 : 1 and 1 : 1 for the homogeneous and supported systems, respectively. Catalyst activity increased continuously as Al : Zr molar ratios increased from 0 to 2000, and remained constant up to 5000. The highest activity was observed at 333 K. High monomer pressures (≈ 4 atm) appeared to stabilize active species during polymerization, producing polyethylenes with high molecular weight (≈ 3 × 10⁵ g mol⁻¹). Catalyst concentration had no significant effect on polymerization activity or polymer properties. Catalyst aging under inert atmosphere was evaluated over 6 months; a pronounced reduction in catalyst activity [from 20 to 13 × 10⁵ g PE (mol Zr h)⁻¹] was observed only after the first two days following preparation. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1987–1996, 1999     

Heptane-soluble homogeneous zirconocene catalyst: Synthesis of a single diastereomer,polymerization catalysis,and effect of silica supports

Bis(1-indenyl)-di[1′S, 2′R, 5′S)-methoxy]silane ( 1 ) was converted into a mixture of corresponding ansa-diastereomeric zirconocenes. Further purification afforded a single dia-stereomer, di[(1′S, 2′R, 5′S)-methoxy] silylene-bis[η⁵-1(R, R)-(+)-indenyl] dichlorozirconium ( 2 ), which is optically active and hydrocarbon soluble. Extremely rapid ethylene, propylene, and ethylene-hexene polymerizations were observed both in toluene and n-heptane solutions; for instance, at 50°C, activity for ethylene polymerization reaches ～ 1.5×10¹⁰ (g of PE/((mol of Zr) · [C₂H₄] · h). The “bare” zirconocenium ion generated from 2/TIBA/Ph₃CB(C₆F₅)₄ exhibits unusual polymerization behaviors; the polymerization activity increases monotonically with temperature of polymerization (T_p) up to a conventional polymerization condition (50–70°C), and the ¹³C NMR study shows that the isotactic poly-propylene obtained has fairly high [mmmm] methyl pentad distributions at high T_p (?25°C with [mmmm] ～ 0.93–0.75) and a perfect stereoregularity at low T_p (?0°C with [mmmm] > 0.99). The catalyst precursors 2 and Et(Ind)₂ZrCl₂ ( 3 ) supported on silica by different approaches produced poly(olefins) of different molecular weights and stereoregularities, and a methylaluminokane and Ph₃CB(C₆F₅)₄ free silica-supported zirconocene system was found to be activated by triisobutylaluminum. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and transformations of metallacycles 33. The first example of cycloalumination of cyclonona-1,2-diene with Et<Subscript>3</Subscript>Al and EtAlCl<Subscript>2</Subscript> in the presence of Cp<Subscript>2</Subscript>ZrCl<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Catalytic cycloalumination of cyclonona-1,2-diene upon treatment with Et₃Al and EtAlCl₂ in the presence of Cp₂ZrCl₂, leading to 10-ethyl-10-aluminabicyclo[7.3.0^1,9]dodec-8-ene (1) and 11-ethyl-11-aluminatricyclo[10.7.0^1,12.0^2,10]nonadeca-9,12-diene, respectively, was accomplished in high yields. A possibility for the selective transformation of compound 1 to 1-allyl-9-(pent-4-enyl)cyclonon-1-ene and 10-hydroxybicyclo[7.3.0^1,9]dodec-8-ene in one preparative step was demonstrated. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2156–2159, November, 2007.     

Synthesis and Catalyzing Behavior of Olefin Polymerization of cis-Cyclopentene Bridged Titanocenes

The homogeneous Group 4 metallocene Ziegler catalysts are receiving an ever increasing attention lately. Their performance as selective α-olefin polymerization catalysts depends very critically on the structure of bent metallocene framework1. Some efforts have been made to further improve the original Brintzinger ansa-metallocenes, the ethylene-bis (indenyl)- and -bis (tetrahydroindenyl) MX2 systems2, by making them conformationally still more rigid. Therefore we synthesized two cis-cyclope…     

Ethylene and propylene polymerization by the new substituted bridged (cyclopentadienyl)(fluorenyl) zirconocenes

Eight Cs‐symmetric complexes, R₁R₂C(Cp)(Flu)MCl₂ [R₁ = R₂ = CH₃CH₂CH₂, M = Zr (1), Hf (2); R₁ = R₂ = p? CH₃OC₆H₄, M = Zr (3), Hf (4); R₁ = p? ^tBuC₆H₄, R₂ = Ph, M = Zr (5), Hf (6); R₁ = R₂ = p? ^tBuC₆H₄, M = Zr (7); R₁ = R₂ = PhCH₂, M = Zr (8)] have been synthesized and characterized. Zirconocenes all showed the same high catalytic activities in ethylene polymerization as complex Ph₂C(Cp)(Flu)ZrCl₂ (9). However, in the propylene polymerization, the catalytic activities decreased in the order 5 ≈ 9 > 7 > 8. Introduction of ^tBu decreased the activities, probably due to the bulk steric hindrance. The polypropylene produced by 5 and 7 with ^tBu substituent showed a higher molecular weight (Mη) than that produced by 9. The ¹³C NMR spectrum revealed the polymers from 7 and 8 to have shorter average syndiotactic block length than polymer produced by 9. It was noted that [mm] stereodefect of polypropylene by 8 could not be observed from ¹³C NMR, which showed that the benzyl on bridge carbon 8 prevented chain epimerization and enatiofacial misinsertion in polymerization. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of Mixed-ring Zirconocene Complexes Containing Alkenyl Group and Ethylene Polymerization Catalyzed with Them

Four new mixed‐ring zirconium completes, [CH₂ = CH(CH₂)_n ‐C₅H₄](RC₅H₄)ZrCl₂ [n = l, R = CH₃OCH₂CH₂(3); n = 2, R = CH₃OCH₂CH₂ (4); n = 2, R=Me₃Si (5); n = 2, R = allyl (6)], have been prepared by the reaction of CH₂ = CH(CH₂)_n C₅H₄ZrCl₃, DME[n = l (1); n = 2 (2)] with RC₅H₄Li. When activated with methylaluminoxane (MAO), the catalytic activities of the above complexes in ethylene polymerization were tested. Complexes 5 and 6 show high activities similar to Cp₂ZrCl₂. Introduction of methoxyethyl group into Cp‐ligand dramatically decreases the catalytic activities of complexes 3 and 4, which can be overcome by increasing the amount of MAO. For complex 5, the dependence of activity and molecular weight (Mη) on the Al/Zr ratio, the polymerization time (t_P), polymerization temperature (T_P) and the polymerization solvent volume (V) was investigated.     

含烯丙基席夫碱ⅣB族的金属烯烃聚合催化剂的合成、结构、高分子化及其催化乙烯聚合反应

制备出两类含烯丙基席夫碱的ⅣB族配合物[R(N=CH-C₆H₃(3-R)O)₂MCl₂ (R=Allyl；R′=Pheny；M=Ti(6)，M=Zr(7)；R=tert-Butyl；R′=Allyl；M=Ti(8)；M=Zr(9))，配合物(7)的单晶结构显示围绕中心金属的配合构型为畸变八面体，其中2个氯原子处于顺式位置。配合物(7，9)中的烯丙基与苯乙烯共聚可得到高分子化烯烃聚合催化剂(PSC1；PSC2)。在助催化剂(MMAO)存在下，配合物9和相应的高分子化催化剂(PSC2)显示出很高的催化乙烯聚合的活性。     

Styrene/1,3‐butadiene copolymerization by C2‐symmetric group 4 metallocenes based catalysts

C₂‐symmetric group 4 metallocenes based catalysts (rac‐[CH₂(3‐tert‐butyl‐1‐indenyl)₂]ZrCl₂ (1) , rac‐[CH₂(1‐indenyl)₂]ZrCl₂ (2) and rac‐[CH₂(3‐tert‐butyl‐1‐indenyl)₂]TiCl₂ (3) ) are able to copolymerize styrene and 1,3‐butadiene, to give products with high molecular weight. In agreement with symmetry properties of metallocene precatalysts, styrene homosequences are in isotactic arrangements. Full determination of microstructure of copolymers was obtained by ¹³C NMR and FTIR analysis and it reveals that insertion of butadiene on styrene chain‐end happens prevailingly with 1,4‐trans configuration. In the butadiene homosequences, using zirconocene‐based catalysts, the 1,4‐trans arrangement is favored over 1,4‐cis, but the latter is prevailing in the presence of titanocene (3) . Diad composition analysis of the copolymers makes possible to estimate the reactivity ratios of copolymerization: zirconocenes (1) and (2) produced copolymers having r₁ × r₂ = 0.5 and 3.0, respectively (where 1 refers to styrene and 2 to butadiene); while titanocene (3) gave tendencially blocky styrene–butadiene copolymers (r₁ × r₂ = 8.5). The copolymers do not exhibit crystallinity, even when they contain a high molar fraction of styrene. Probably, comonomer homosequences are too short to crystallize (n_s = 16, in the copolymer at highest styrene molar fraction). © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 1476–1487, 2008     

Synthesis and characterization of bis(indenyl) zirconium aryloxide derivatives and their use in α‐olefin polymerization

A series of new bis(indenyl) zirconium diaryloxides of general formula Ind₂Zr(OL)₂ (L = C₆H₅, 2 ; C₆F₅, 3 ; 2,6‐Me₂C₆H₃, 4; 2,4,6‐Me₃C₆H₂, 5 ; 4‐^tBuC₆H₄, 6 ) were synthesized by a metathesis reaction of Ind₂ZrCl₂ ( 1 ) with the appropriate thallium aryloxide salt, TlOL. The complexes 1–6 were characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR techniques. They were also examined as catalysts for ethene and 1‐hexene polymerization with methylalumoxane as co‐catalyst, and a trend of the polymerization activity as a function of aryloxide ligands was observed. An interpretation of this trend, considering both the electronic and steric effects of the substituents on the aryloxide rings, was proposed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

乙烯聚合水杨醛亚胺锆配合物的合成、结构和固定化

合成和表征了2个锆的配合物：Bis[N-(3-tert-butylsalicylidene) allylaminato] zirconium dichloride (4)和Bis[N-(3-tert-butylsali-cylidene)-iso-butylaminato] zirconium dichloride (5)，并且得到了配合物4的单晶结构。在引发剂的作用下，配合物4和苯乙烯进行自由基共聚，得到高分子化催化剂6。在助催化剂MMAO的存在下，4，5和6都可以催化乙烯聚合。最高活性为3.7×10⁶ g PE·(mol Zr)^-1·h^-1。     

Kinetics,polymer molecular weights,and microstructure in zirconocene‐catalyzed 1‐hexene polymerization

1‐Hexene was polymerized by rac‐(dimethylsilyl)bis(4,5,6,7‐tetrahydro‐1‐indenyl)zirconium dichloride catalyst and methylaluminoxane cocatalyst over the temperature range 0–100 °C. The polymerization rate, polymer molecular weight, and polymer microstructure (stereospecificity and regiospecificity) were studied as a function of the temperature and the concentrations of monomer, catalyst, and cocatalyst. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3802–3811, 2000     

Synthesis and transformations of metallacycles. 23. Cp2TiCl2-Catalyzed cyclometallation of fullerene C60 with EtAlCl2

1-Ethyl-2,3-fullerenoaluminacyclopropanes (EtAl)_n(²-C₆₀) were synthesized by the reaction of fullerene C₆₀ with an excess of EtAlCl₂ in the presence of Mg and using Cp₂TiCl₂ as the catalyst in a THF--toluene solution at 20 °C. Deuterolysis of fullerenoaluminacyclopropanes afforded a mixture of deuteriofullerenes C₆₀D_m, where m = 6--12.     

Synthesis and transformations of metallacycles. 26. Cp2ZrCl2-Catalyzed cycloalumination of substituted allenes with Et3Al

Catalytic cycloalumination of 1-alkyl(phenyl)allenes with triethylaluminum (5 mol.% of Cp₂ZrCl₂ as the catalyst, 20 °C, 4 h, hexane) afforded methylene- and alkyl(benzyl)idene-substituted alumacyclopentanes.     

Supported (nBuCp)2ZrCl2 Catalysts: Effects of Selected Lewis Acid Organotin Silica Surface Modifiers on Ethylene Polymerization

This study investigated the effects of several organotin silica surface modifiers on the ethylene polymerization performance of (ⁿBuCp)₂ZrCl₂‐based supported catalysts in which MAO and metallocene were sequentially loaded. Each organotin compound acted as a spacer, increasing the catalyst activity. However, the catalyst activity and of the resulting polyethylenes varied as follows: Activity and fractional Sn⁺ charge: ⁿBuSn(OH)₂Cl > MeSnCl₃ > ⁿBuSnCl₃ > Reference catalyst; and, : Reference catalyst > ⁿBuSnCl₃ > MeSnCl₃ > ⁿBuSn(OH)₂Cl. The above catalyst activity rating was explained considering the influence of the Lewis acidity, that is, the fractional Sn⁺ charge of the organotin modifiers on the generation, concentration, and electron density at the active [(ⁿBuCp)₂ZrMe]⁺ cation. All the catalysts showed fairly stable kinetic profiles and produced narrow molecular weight distribution resins; 2.8 ≤ PDI ≤ 3.

     

双（环戊二烯基）二氯化锆载体催化剂催化乙烯／α—烯烃共聚合

合成了３种Ｚｒ／甲基铝氧烷（ＭＡＯ）／ＳｉＯ２型载体催化剂，考察了不同ＭＡＯ投料量对载锆反应及催化活性的影响，研究了乙烯聚合及乙烯／α－烯烃共聚合，结果表明，该催化剂对己烯和辛烯有很强的共聚作用，而对癸烯的共聚能力较弱，解释了α－烯烃碳链增长对乙烯／α－烯烃共聚催化活性的影响，ＳＥＭ分析表明，α－烯烃的加入有利于聚合物形态原改善。     

Synthesis and transformations of metallacycles. 28. Reactions of allenes with EtAlCl2 and Et2AlCl catalyzed by Ti and Zr complexes

Catalytic cycloalumination of allenes with EtAlCl₂ in the presence of Ti or Zr complexes afforded methylidene- and alkyl(benzyl)idenealuminacyclopropanes and the corresponding aluminacyclopentanes, which were identified by analyzing the hydrolysis products. The reactions with the use of Et₂AlCl instead of EtAlCl₂ produced 1,2- and 1,4-dialuminum compounds.     

(η5-C5H5)2TiCl2- hydroalumination of α-olefins with Et3Alhydroalumination of α-olefins with Et3Al

A preparative method for the synthesis of (alkyl)diethylalanes from α-olefins and Et₃Al catalyzed by Cp₂TiCl₂ (Cp=η⁵-C₅H₅)is proposed. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 712–715, April, 1998.     

Synthesis and characterization of norbornene–ethylene–styrene terpolymers with a substituted ansa‐fluorenylamidodimethyltitanium‐based catalyst

This article reports a synthetic method for a norbornene–ethylene–styrene (N‐E‐S) terpolymer, which has not been well investigated so far, via incorporation of styrene (S) into vinyl‐type norbornene–ethylene (N‐E) copolymers catalyzed by a substituted ansa‐fluorenylamidodimethyltitanium [Me₂Si(3,6‐tBu₂Flu)(tBuN)]TiMe₂ catalyst ( I ) activated with a [Ph₃C][B(C₆F₅)₄]/Al(iBu)₃ cocatalyst at room temperature in toluene. The resulting terpolymerization product contained the targeted N‐E‐S terpolymer and the contaminated homopolymers, which were then able to be completely removed by solvent fractionation techniques. While homopolystyrene was easily extracted by fractionation with methylethylketone as a soluble part, homopolyethylene and a trace amount of homopolynorbornene could be perfectly separated by fractionation with chloroform as insoluble parts. The detail characterizations of a chloroform‐soluble polymer with gel permeation chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and differential scanning calorimetry analyses proved that it contained a true N‐E‐S terpolymer with long N‐E sequences incorporated with isolated or short styrene sequences. The homogeneity of the morphology together with a single glass transition temperature that proportionally decreased with the increase of the styrene contents indicated that the N‐E‐S terpolymer obtained in this work is a random polymer with an amorphous structure. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2765–2773, 2007     

Branched polyethylene prepared by in situ copolymerization of ethylene with monotitanocene and modified methylaluminoxane catalyst

Branched polyethylene was synthesized in heptane used as a polymerization medium with monotitanocene catalyst composed of η⁵‐pentamethylcyclopentadienyl tribenzyloxy titanium and modified methylaluminoxane (mMAO) that contained different amounts of residual trimethylaluminum (TMA). The residual TMA more strongly reduced Ti(IV) complexes to Ti(III) and Ti(II) ones, and Ti(IV) active species were suggested to be more effective for ethylene polymerization. Influences of the polymerization temperature and Al/Ti molar ratio on the catalytic activity and the degree of branching, branch length, and molecular weight of polyethylene were investigated. The obtained polymers were confirmed by ¹³C NMR to be higher molecular weight polyethylene containing significant amounts of isolated ethyl branches, butyl branches, or both. Branched polyethylene was prepared by the in situ copolymerization of ethylene with 1‐butene and 1‐hexene, which were formed through a proposed mechanism including metallcycloheptane and metallcyclopentane intermediates of Ti(II) species that were produced by the reaction of Ti(IV) complexes with TMA coexisting in mMAO. There was a remarkable increase in the chance of 1‐butene being produced from metallcyclopentane of Ti(II) intermediates with an increase in the polymerization temperature. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4258–4263, 2000