Titanium ketimide complexes as α-olefin homo- and copolymerisation catalysts. X-ray diffraction structures of [TiCp(NCBu2)Cl2] (Cp=Ind, Cp*)

The synthesis of TiInd(NC^tBu₂)Cl₂] and the applications of TiCp^′(NC^tBu₂)Cl₂] (Cp^′=Ind, Cp*, Cp) as ethylene and propylene homopolymerisation catalysts, as well as its behaviour as catalysts of ethylene and 10-undecen-1-ol copolymerisation are described. The optimisation of the catalytic reactions showed that all compounds are very active homopolymerisation catalysts, particularly TiInd(NC^tBu₂)Cl₂] that gives 123.37 × 10⁶ g/(molTi E] h) and 50.77 × 10⁶ g/(molTi P] h) of linear polyethylene and atatic polypropylene, respectively. The less active homopolymerisation catalyst, TiCp(NC^tBu₂)Cl₂], is the most effective ethylene/10-undecen-1-ol copolymerisation catalyst, leading to the highest degree of polar monomer incorporation. The polymers obtained were characterised by NMR and DSC. The molecular structures of TiCp^′(NC^tBu₂)Cl₂] (Cp^′=Ind, Cp*) were determined by X-ray diffraction studies.