Syndiospecific polymerization of styrene catalyzed by CpTiCl2(OR) complexes

Five new CpTiCl₂(OR) alkoxyl-substituted half-sandwich complexes, where R was methoxyethyl ( 1 ), methoxypropyl ( 2 ), methoxyisopropyl ( 3 ), o-methoxyphenyl ( 4 ), or tetrahydrofurfuryl ( 5 ), were synthesized, characterized, and tested as catalyst precursors for the syndiospecific polymerization of styrene. These precursors were more active than (η⁵-cyclopentadienyl)trichlorotitanium (CpTiCl₃). The different structures of the alkoxyl ligands affected the activity slightly. When the polymerization was carried out in bulk, all the complexes ( 1–5 ) exhibited high activities, even at the low molar ratio of Al/Ti = 300. The syndiotactic polystyrene (s-PS) percentage of the polymer produced by alkoxyl-substituted complexes was much higher than that of CpTiCl₃. The really active center might be described as CpTiMe]⁺ · MAOX]⁻ · nMAO (where MAO is methylaluminoxane). The normal active species CpTiMe]⁺ made up the core and the anion mass MAOX]⁻ · nMAO surrounded the core and constituted the outer shell circumstance. They activated the syndiospecific polymerization of styrene as a whole. For a high concentration of MAO, the function of the alkoxyl group was weak because of the limited proportion in the outer shell. For a low concentration of MAO, the proportion of alkoxyl ligands in the outer shell increased greatly, and their influence also became significant, as reflected in a higher s-PS percentage of the obtained polymer. The existence of the additional oxygen atom in the alkoxyl ligand stabilized the active species more effectively; this was reflected in the higher temperature of the maximum activities. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1817–1824, 2001