Synthesis of Isotactic Polypropylene Containing a Terminal Cl, OH, or NH2 Group via Metallocene-Mediated Polymerization/Chain Transfer Reaction

Catalytic Installation of Primary Amines Onto Polyolefins for Oligomer Valorization

Polymerization of primary amine-containing monomers is challenging because the amine inhibits polymerization catalyst activity. An alternative approach to access primary amine functionalized polymers is postpolymerization modification. To this end, the hydroaminoalkylation of vinyl-terminated polyolefins with N-(trimethylsilyl)benzylamine is used to prepare primary amine-terminated polyolefins, with the free primary amine substituent being revealed upon hydrolytic work up. These materials are spectroscopically characterized, and an investigation of thermal properties by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis is completed. These results show that the primary amine substituent increases the glass transition temperature and improves thermal stability. The reactive primary amine functionality is used in the photo-oxidative dimerization of polyolefins to demonstrate how this elusive functionality can be applied in oligomer valorization.

Silylation of thymol extracted from Thymus migricus essential oil, improvement of lipophilicity properties, and investigation of its pharmacological properties

Thymus species are well known as medicinal plants because of their biological and pharmacological properties. Thymus migricus Klokov & Desj. -Shos belongs to Lamiaceae. Young branches of this plant produce an essential oil that is abundant in potent and volatile compounds that have a variety of therapeutic uses. In this study, the natural composition of thymol in this plant’s essential oil was first detected with HPLC and Mass, and then the essential oil was extracted. The increase in the lipophilicity of the synthesized silylated derivatives was then examined by HPLC after numerous silylated derivatives of this phenolic compound were synthesized using various silylation reagents. These derivatives were then analyzed by FT-IR and 1HNMR analysis. The antibacterial activity of thymol with its silylated derivatives against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria was next tested by diffusion method, after which the antioxidant activity of thymol with its silylated derivatives was assessed by two DPPH and FRAP methods.

Direct Synthesis of Partially Chain-Straightened Propylene Oligomers and P-MA Co-Oligomers Using Axially Flexible Shielded Iminopyridyl Palladium Complexes

In this study, a series of partially chain-straightened propylene oligomers and functional propylene−methyl acrylate (P-MA) co-oligomers were synthesized with 8-alkyl-iminopyridyl Pd(II) catalysts. The molecular weight and polar monomer incorporation ratio could be tuned by using Pd(II) catalysts with various 8-alkyl-naphthyl substituents (8-alkyl: H, Me, and n-Bu). In propylene oligomerization, all the 8-alkyl-iminopyridyl Pd(II) catalysts convert propylene to partially chain-straightened (119−136/1000 C) oligomers with low molecular weights (0.3−1.5 kg/mol). Among the catalysts, Pd1 with non-substituent (H) on the ligand showed the highest activity of 5.4 × 104 g/((mol of Pd) h), generating oligomers with the lowest molecular weight (Mn: 0.3 kg/mol). Moreover, polar-functionalized propylene-MA co-oligomers with very high incorporation ratios (22.8−36.5 mol %) could be obtained in the copolymerization using these 8-alkyl-iminopyridyl Pd(II) catalysts. Additionally, Pd1 exhibited the best performance in propylene-MA copolymerization as it displayed the highest MA incorporation ratio of up to 36.5 mol%. All the three catalysts are capable of generating partially chain-straightened P-MA co-oligomers and the activities decrease gradually while the molecular weight increases with the increasing steric hindrance of the alkyl substituent (H < Me < n-Bu). Compared to Pd4 with the rigid 8-aryl substituent, the flexible 8-alkyl-iminopyridyl Pd(II) catalysts (Pd1-3) not only showed much higher activities in the propylene oligomerization, but also yielded P-MA co-oligomers with significantly higher incorporation ratios in the propylene co-oligomerization.

Direct synthesis of various polar functionalized polypropylene materials with tunable molecular weights and high incorporation ratios

As compared with the classical α-diimine catalyst, iminopyridyl catalysts were observed to be highly efficient for the direct synthesis of polar functionalized polypropylene with tunable molecular weights and high incorporation ratios.

Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymers Containing Polypropylene as the Middle Block

The synthesis of stereoregular telechelic polypropylene (PP) and their use to access triblock amphiphilic copolymers with the PP block located in the center is described. The strategy consists of selectively copolymerizing propylene and a di-functional co-monomer (1,3-diisopropenylbenzene) to yield a α,ω-substituted polypropylene. Initiation of the copolymerization favors insertion of DIB over propylene; propagation steps favor insertion of propylene. Termination via a chain-transfer reaction yields the terminal unsaturation of the polymer. The telechelic polypropylene is then converted into α,ω-hydroxyl-terminated polypropylene and used as a macroinitiator for the synthesis of triblock copolymers. Water-soluble amphiphilic triblock polymers are also synthesized. The use of catalytic reactions simultaneously provides the stereocontrol of the polypropylene and high productivity (multiple chains of block copolymer per metal center).

New effort to synthesize star isotactic polypropylene

Star isotactic polypropylenes with adjustable arm numbers of 3–8 were synthesized via an efficient arm-first approach with two facile steps.

Half-titanocenes containing anionic ancillary donor ligands as promising new catalysts for precise olefin polymerisation

Recent efforts concerning nonbridged half-titanocenes containing anionic donor ligand of the type, Cp'TiX(2)(Y) [Cp' = cyclopentadienyl group; X = halogen, alkyl; Y = anionic ancillary donor ligands such as aryloxo, ketimide etc.], as new types of olefin polymerisation catalysts have been reviewed. It has been demonstrated that these complexes displayed unique characteristics especially for ethylene copolymerisation affording new polymers by efficient incorporation of bulky olefins (so called "traditionally unreactive" monomers in transition metal catalysed coordination polymerisation), that have not been attained by the ordinary catalysts.