Magnesium-chloride-supported high-mileage catalysts for olefin polymerization. II. Reactions between aluminum alkyl and promoters

The reactions between AlEt₃ and the modifiers, promoters, and coactivators of a typical magnesium-chloride-supported, high-activity propylene polymerization catalyst were studied. Infrared, MS analysis of the gas evolved, and GC–MS of the hydrolysis products for the reaction between AlEt₃ and p-cresol showed rapid and quantitative reactions with p-cresol either in the support or solution. The reaction products from AlEt₃ and esters were hydrolyzed, acidified, and dehydrated. The resulting carbonyl and olefinic compounds were identified by GC–MS. Proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques were also used to study these reactions. The expected intermediates were found in the PMR and CMR spectra. The mechanisms of reactions were proposed. The results of this study showed that when AlEt₃ and esters are used as coactivators reaction products that can significantly influence the performance of the catalyst are formed.     

Magnesium chloride-supported,high-mileage catalysts for olefin polymerization. V. BET,porosimetry, and x-ray diffraction studies

The physical state of the material obtained during the various stages of preparation of a typical MgCl₂-supported, high-mileage propylene polymerization catalyst was studied by BET, mercury porosimetry, and x-ray diffraction techniques. The starting MgCl₂ and the substance after HCl treatment have negligible BET surface areas. Mercury porosimetry showed that they have large pores with radii > 200 nm which are probably crevices between MgCl₂ crystallites. The most pronounced physical changes occur during dry porcelain ball milling in the presence of ethyl benzoate. After 60 h or more of ball milling the material had a 5.1–7.3 m² g^?1 BET surface area, twice the pore surface area, and a smaller pore radius than before ball milling and a large reduction in crystallite sizes to almost ultimate dimensions. The crystallites were probably held together by complexation with ethyl benzoate in the form of large agglomerates. Subsequent reactions with p-cresol and triethyl aluminum had minor effects in further reduction of the MgCl² crystallite size but efficiently brokeup the agglomerates. The final refluxing with TiCl₄ increased the BET surface area to 110–150 m² g^?1 but may have increased the crystallite size somewhat due to cocrystallization of TiCl₃ and AlCl₃ with MgCl₂. There may have been only 8–10 crystallites in each catalyst particle. The surface structure of the catalyst resembled those of the classical Ziegler-Natta γ-TiCl₃·0.33 AlCl₃ catalyst.     

Magnesium chloride supported high-mileage catalysts for olefin polymerization. XVII. Effect of lewis base on propylene polymerization

A systematic study has been made on the functions of external Lewis base (B_e, methyl-p-toluate, MPT) and internal Lewis base (B_i, ethyl benzoate, EB) for the CW-catalyst system MgCI₂/EB/PC/AlEt₃/TiCl₄–AlEt₃/MPT (PC, p-cresol). B_i is a nonstereoselective modifier. It increases the active site concentrations and rate constants of propagation, k_p, of both the isospecific and nonspecific sites, and thus the productivities of the stereoregular and irregular polypropylenes by five- to tenfold. It seems that B_i complexes with the MgCl₂ support to lower the electronegativity of the surface Mg atoms. It also acts to lower the rate constant of chain transfer to aluminum alkyl, k, by two- to fourfold. The action of B_e is highly stereospecific. The isotacticity index of polypropylene is ? 95% in the presence of B_e but ? 68% without it. Addition of B_e decreases nonspecific [Ti^*]_a by about (11 ± 2)-fold; there is only about a twofold reduction of the isospecific [Ti^*]_i. It decreases k_p,a about three times but has no effect on k_p,i, so that the latter is (21 ± 4) times the former. B_e decreases k for transfer with aluminum alkyl much more than it does to k; but it does not affect the rates of chain transfer with monomer and by β-hydride elimination or the rate of catalyst deactivation. The number of active sites without B_e is [Ti^*]_i = 15% and [Ti^*]_a = 55% for a total of 70%. In the presence of B_e they are both about 6%. Optimum performance in propylene polymerizations requires both B_i and B_e in the case of the CW-catalyst.     

Magnesium chloride supported high-mileage catalysts for olefin polymerization. IV. FTIR and quantitative analysis of modifiers in the catalysts

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra were obtained for a typical MgCl₂-supported, high-mileage catalyst for propylene polymerization. When ball-milling MgCl₂ with ethyl benzoate (EB), the latter is incorporated into the support (I) by Lewis acid-base complexation involving both oxygen atoms of the ester. Reaction of (I) with p-cresol (PC) resulted in a material (II) that contains all the characteristic IR bands of PC. The reaction of (II) that contains all the characteristic IR bands of PC. The reaction of (II) with AlEt₃ (TEA) resulted in (III) whose spectrum supports the reaction observed by product analysis and NMR spectroscopy. There was no evidence of any reaction between TEA and EB. Further reaction of (III) with an excess of TiCl₄ caused substantial removal of the p-cresol moiety as shown by the diminution of its characteristic bands. Finally, activation with 3TEA-1MT (methyl-p-toluate) complexes gave spectra that revealed the presence of MT in the activated catalyst without any visage of p-cresol moiety. The nondestructive FTIR method, however, is not quantitative. Quantitative analysis of the organic components in the support materials (I), (II), and (III) and the catalysts was accomplished by hydrolysis of the inorganic components, extraction with ether, and analysis by gas chromatography. The results are in good agreement with composition deducted from elemental analysis and substantiate the FTIR conclusions.     

Magnesium chloride supported high-mileage catalysts for olefin polymerization. I. Chemical composition and oxidation states of titanium

The chemical composition of a MgCl₂-supported, high-mileage catalyst has been determined at every stage of its preparation. Ball milling of MgCl₂ with ethyl benzoate (EB) resulted in the incorporation of 95% of the EB present to give MgCl₂·EB_0.15. A mild reaction with a half-mole equivalent of p-cresol (PC) at 50°C for 1 h resulted in near quantitative retention of p-cresol by the support. The composition is now approximately MgCl₂·EB_0.15P?_0.5. Addition of an amount of AlEt₃ corresponding to half-mole equivalent of p-cresol liberated one mole of ethane per mole of p-cresol, thus signaling quantitative reaction between the two components. The support contains on the average one ethyl group per Al. Further reaction with TiCl₄ resulted in the incorporation of titanium of approximately 8, 38, and 54% in the oxidation states of +2, +3, and +4, respectively. The ratio of Al to Ti in the catalyst lies in the range of 0.5–1.0. Only 19% of all the Ti⁺³ species in the catalyst can be observed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR); these are attributable to isolated Ti⁺³ complexes. The remaining EPR silent Ti⁺³ species are believed to be bridged to another Ti⁺³ by Cl ligands. The total Cl content is equal to the sum of 2 × Mg + 3 × Al + 3.5 × Ti. Most of the p-cresol moiety apparently disappeared from the support, leaving much of ethyl benzoate in the catalyst. Activation with AlEt₃/methyl-p-toluate complex reduces 90% of the Ti⁺⁴ in the catalyst to lower oxidation states. The ester apparently moderates the alkylating power of AlEt₃ to avoid excessive formation of divalent titanium sites. There appears to be a constant fraction of 1/4–1/5 of the titanium which is isolated and the remainder is in bridged clusters independent of the oxidation states of titanium.     

Magnesium chloride supported high-mileage catalysts for olefin polymerization. X. Effect of hydrogen and catalytic site deactivation

The effect of H₂ on propylene polymerization initiated by a MgCl₂/EB/PC/AlEt₃/TiCl₄–3 AlEt₃/MPT catalyst was studied. Hydrogen increases significantly the initial rate during the early stage of the polymerization to give a higher yield of polymer than reactions without H₂. But H₂ reduces the yield toward the latter stages so that the net effect on the total yield can be quite small. There is no appreciable effect of H₂ on either the isotacticity index or polydispersity of the products. It decreases molecular weight proportional to (p_H2)^1/2. The chain transfer by H₂ resulted in a decrease of total metal polymer bond concentration with time of polymerization. The rate constants of hydrogen chain transfer for the two kinds of isospecific and nonspecific sites are = 5.1 × 10^?3, = 2.7 × 10^?3, = 7.5 × 10^?3, = 4.4 × 10^?3, in units of torr^1/2 sec^?1 at 50°. Hydrogen assists in the deactivation of the catalytic sites as does propylene; rates of the former and the latter vary with (p_H2)^1/2 and [C₃H₆]^1/2, respectively, with k = (12.1 ± 0.9) M^?1 torr^?1/2 sec^?1 and k = (65.3 ± 3.3) M^?3/2 sec^?1 at 50° and A/T = 167. The mechanism for deactivation of catalytic sites are discussed.     

Electron paramagnetic resonance studies on oxidative polymerization mechanism of furan derivatives

The oxidative polymerization of furan, 3-methylfuran and 2,2′,5′,2″-terfuran, induced by iodine in organic solvents having different donicity, was investigated by time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The reaction was monitored starting from the onset of the process and radical species arising from the monomers in early stages of the polymerization reaction were detected. The comparison between experimental and theoretical hyperfine coupling constants, obtained by simulated EPR spectra and theoretical ab initio calculations, respectively, allowed one to structurally characterize the above radical species, thus enabling mechanistic conclusions about oxidative coupling. Moreover, the analysis of the time evolution of EPR spectrum during the oxidative polymerization process was used for evaluating the relative amount of localized and mobile radical species along the polymer backbone, thus getting preliminary information about conjugation extent and electroconducting properties of the final material. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1901–1910, 1998     

Phospholyl catalysts for olefin polymerization

Seventeen different phospholyl ligands were incorporated in a total of 22 zirconium complexes, (Phos)₂ZrCl₂, (Phos)(C₅H₅)ZrCl₂, investigated in propylene polymerization catalysis using methylaluminoxane as cocatalyst. Atactic polypropylene with M_n varying from 450 to >20 000 and vinylidene end groups (CH₂C(Me)R) was obtained with activities up to 170 kg/g Zr·h. For the 11 diphospholyls of structure (2,5-R₂C₄H₂P)₂ZrCl₂, catalytic activity was highest with substituents of moderate bulk adjacent to phosphorus (e.g., c-Pr, Ph), whereas complexes with two small (H) or two large (CMe₃, SiMe₃) ligand substituents were inactive. It is hypothesized that optimum activity with MAO requires selective blocking of phosphorus lone pair coordination to aluminum, whilst allowing free propylene approach to the active site. The degree of polymerization increased steadily in the series of 2,5-disubstituted phospholyl complexes, dialkyl<alkyl-phenyl<diphenyl, suggesting that electronic factors are more important than steric factors in determining M_n.     

Magnesium chloride supported high-mileage catalysts for olefin polymerizations. XVIII. Effect of hydrogen and lewis bases

Hydrogen has been found earlier to increase the initial rate of polymerization by MgCl₂/EB/PC/AlEt₃/TiCl₄-AlEt₃/MPT, CW-catalyst (+B_i, +B_e) (EB, ethyl benzoate; PC, p-cresol; MPT, methyl-p-toluate), but decays more rapidly as compared to polymerizations in the absence of H₂. In this study the effect of H₂ was studied when either the internal Lewis base, EB B_i, or the external Lewis base, MPT B_e, or both are deleted from the CW-catalyst. H₂ does not affect the stereospecificity of all the catalysts, but causes a slight increase of polymer yield, whereas the yield is virtually unchanged by H₂ for the catalysts activated with B_e. Unlike the catalyst (+B_i, +B_e) where H₂ increases active site concentrations [Ti^*] about threefold, it affects [Ti^*] negligibly when B_e is absent. The rate constants of propagation is about the same with or without H₂ for the CW-catalyst (+B_i, –B_e) or (–B_i, –B_e); the same statement can be said about the rate constant of chain transfer with AlEt₃ or with H₂. Hydrogen increases the rate of catalyst site deactivation for the various catalysts in the order of(+B_i, +B_e) > (–B_i, –B_e) > (+B_i, –B_e).     

Modification of metallocene catalysts for olefin polymerization

The metallocene catalyst developed by Kaminsky and Sinn has been demonstrated to permit the synthesis of any kind of stereoregular polymers as well as uniform copolymers with very narrow compositional and molecular weight distributions. The catalyst is, thus, expected to comprise a revolution in the polyolefin industry. More recently, a great deal of research effort has been devoted to modify it for practical applications, which has yielded a new generation of metallocene catalysts. This paper summarizes the results reported so far in the field. Some of our original data will be also reported.     

Self-immobilizing catalysts and cocatalysts for olefin polymerization

Homogeneous catalysts for olefin polymerization such as metallocene or half-sandwich complexes containing the metals titanium, zirconium and hafnium, or other transition-metal coordination complexes can be functionalized with alkenyl groups and have then the potential to copolymerize with olefins to give heterogeneous catalysts. In a similar manner metallacyclic metallocene complexes with a metal-carbon sigma bond allow the catalytic insertion of olefins into this bond and produce heterogeneous catalysts. It is also possible to functionalize the active species of the cocatalyst methylalumoxane (MAO) and use it for self-immobilization processes. The high excess of MAO that is necessary in homogeneous solution can be reduced by more than 90% with this method.     

Magnesium chloride-supported high-mileage catalysts for olefin polymerization XI. Determinations of poly(decene-1) molecular weight chain dimension and thermal transitions

Decene-1 was polymerized with the CW catalyst and fractionated by precipitation technique. Light-scattering and viscometric measurements on these fractions established the relationship [η] = 5.19 × 10^?3 M . The unperturbed mean square end-to-end distance is (〈R〉/M)^1/2 = (6.17 ± 0.34) × 10^?9. Light-scattering data is consistent with a relatively stiff molecule with length of L = 1.75 × 10^?5 cm for poly(decene-1) with MW = 397,000. Its mean square radius of gyration 〈R〉 is 2.79 × 10^?11 cm.² The ratio of L²/〈R〉 = 11 is close to the theoretical ratio of 12 for this kind of macromolecule.     

Recent progress on olefin polymerization catalysts

Recent progress on metallocene catalysts is reviewed. This consists for the main part of research activities in metallocene catalysts and their polymerization performances (ethylene polymerization, propylene polymerization, styrene polymerization). In addi-tion, the computational design of metallocene catalysts and the commercial status of metallocene technologies in Japan are described.     

Vapor synthesis of high-activity catalysts for olefin polymerization

Vaporization of MgCl₂ and other metal halides results in monomeric gas-phase species. Cocondensation of these species with organic diluents such as heptane yields highly activated solids which are precursors to MgCl₂ supported “high-mileage” catalysts for olefin polymerization. These catalysts, prepared by treatment with TiCl₄ followed by standard activation with aluminum alkyls display high activity for ethylene and propylene polymerization. MgCl₂ can also be evaporated into neat TiCl₄ to give a related catalyst. The concentration of MgCl₂ in the diluent affects catalyst properties as does the nature of the diluent. TiCl₃, 3TiCl₃ · AlCl₃, VCl₃ and other metal halides are subject to similar activation.     

Electron transfer mechanism in olefin polymerization

Polymerization of olefins mediated by transition metal derivatives (Ziegler–Natta polymerization) is one of the most scientifically and industrially important processes of molecular conversion. Electron transfer mechanism could play a significant role in both heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts. The catalytic activity strongly depends on the presence of two metallocene ligands attached to the transition metal (more commonly zirconium) which grants the valence form of zirconium in complexes of the type Cp₂ZrX₂(X=Cl or CH₃) followed by the formation of the (Cp₂ZrX)⁺ cation under the effect of a Lewis acid. On the other hand, Ti complexes with only one metallocene ligand give the syndiospecific polymerization of styrene, where the phenyl group appears to act as electron donor for the transition metal. The remarkable electronic effect of the metallocene groups in determining catalytic activity is demonstrated by the study of substituted metallocene ligands as well as other ligands around the metal. These effects cannot be, however, completely separated from steric effects which seem to be responsible for the impressive and versatile stereochemical control determined by symmetry properties of the transition metal complex.     

Electron paramagnetic resonance for everybody--MICROspec-X--a new class of electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer

The electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy is the only method for detecting free radicals. Free radicals have an increased importance in our daily life. A small transportable EPR spectrometer is presented for the popularisation of the EPR method. The technical construction and some applications are illustrated which show the usability of the spectrometer.     

Cationic polymerization with boron halides. III. BCl3 coinitiator for olefin polymerization

The polymerization of isobutylene with BF₃, BCl₃, and BBr₃ coinitiators has been investigated. The polymerization with BCl₃ requires the presence of a cationogen, e.g., H₂O. The presence of a polar solvent is also necessary. Surprisingly, large quantities of polar solvent are required for effective polymerization. To obtain high conversions, the mixing sequence of the reagents is critical: BCI₃ must be added last to charges containing the monomer and H₂O in a polar solvent. Ultimate conversions increase by decreasing the temperature. Kinetic termination exists. Experiments with BF₃ and BBr₃ revealed that polymerizations induced with BF₃ proceed in nonpolar and/or polar media. Polymerization stops with BF₃ at less than complete conversion (termination exists). In contrast to findings with BCl₃, polymer yields with BF₃ increase with increasing temperatures. BBr₃ is a very inefficient coinitiator, even in the presence of polar solvent, over the ?10 to ?90°C temperature range. A hypothesis which explains these observations has been developed.     

A few considerations on some catalysts for olefin polymerization

Among many precursors and catalysts for alpha-olefins polymerization, one seems to be particularly interesting, because it has not been completely clarified yet. We refer especially to precursors obtained via reaction between Mg-alkyls and SiCl₄. The products of this reaction are not well known; in fact, under some operating conditions, a special form of MgCl₂ is obtained, showing x-ray diffraction peaks in the angular region lower than 15° (2 theta), which corresponds to the 5.9 A interplanar spacing, characteristic of alpha-MgCl₂. Under other conditions, MgCl₂ is obtained in the well known and strongly disordered delta structure. By employing these precursors, some catalytic systems for alpha-olefins polymerization have been prepared. In this paper, the peculiar aspects of these precursors and catalysts are described, particularly focusing on the correlation between structure and performances in ethylene and propylene polymerization.     

Developments of rare earth metal catalysts for olefin polymerization

This review article describes recent developments in rare earth metal complexes as polymerization catalysts, focusing on the polymerization of ethylene and α-olefins. Most of this kind of catalysts had been based on metallocene type complexes, and their catalytic behaviors are surveyed. Advanced series of half-metallocene and non-Cp type catalyst systems are also summarized.