Synthesis, Characterization, and Catalytic Activities for the Polymerization of Olefins Promoted by Zirconium(III) and Titanium(III) Allyl Complexes

Arrested disproportionation in trivalent, mononuclear, and non-metallocene complexes of Zr(iii) and Hf(iii)

Reduction of [(PN)₂MCl₂] (M = Zr (1), and Hf (2)) both readily prepared by transmetallation of 2 LiPN with [MCl₄(THF)₂], with a slight excess of KC₈, resulted in the isolation of the trivalent complexes [(PN)₂MCl] (M = Zr (3), and Hf (4)).

Neutron and X-ray Diffraction and Spectroscopic Investigations of Intramolecular [CH⋅⋅⋅FC] Contacts in Post-Metallocene Polyolefin Catalysts: Modeling Weak Attractive Polymer–Ligand Interactions

A family of Group 4 post-metallocene catalysts, supported by fluorine-functionalized tridentate ligands with the fluorine substituent in the locality of the metal center, is described. For the first time, the contentious C-H...F-C interaction has been characterized by a neutron diffraction study, which has allowed the position of the hydrogen atoms to be accurately determined. The nature of the weak intramolecular C-H...F-C contacts in these complexes in solution and the solid state was probed by using multinuclear NMR spectroscopy in tandem with neutron and X-ray crystallography. Evidence is presented to demonstrate that the spectroscopic C-H...F-C coupling occurs "through-space" rather than "through-bond" or by MF coordination. The titanium catalysts exhibit excellent activities and high co-monomer incorporation in olefin polymerization. The observed intramolecular C-H...F-C interactions are important with regards to potential applications in polyolefin catalysis because they substantiate the proposed ortho-F...H(beta) ligand-(polymer chain) contacts derived from DFT calculations for the remarkable fluorinated phenoxyimine Group 4 catalysts. Compared with agostic and co-catalyst...metal contacts, weak attractive noncovalent interactions between a polymer chain and a judiciously designed "active" ligand is a new concept in polyolefin catalysis.

Group 4 octahedral benzamidinate complexes: syntheses, structures, and catalytic activities in the polymerization of propylene modulated by pressure

The synthesis and structural X-ray diffraction studies for some benzamidinate ligations and several group 4 benzamidinate complexes are presented. The use of the cis-octahedral C(2)-symmetry compounds was studied to shed light on the conceptual applicability of these complexes as potential catalysts for the stereoregular polymerization of propylene. We demonstrate that the stereoregular polymerization of propylene catalyzed by early-transition metal octahedral benzamidinate complexes, activated with either MAO or B(C(6)F(5))(3) as cocatalysts, can be modulated by pressure (from atactic to isotactic through elastomers). The different effects in the polymerization process such as the nature of solvent or cocatalyst, temperature, pressure, molar ratio catalyst:cocatalyst, and the relationship between the symmetry of the complex and the polymer microstructure have been investigated. When the complex [4-CH(3)-C(6)H(4)C(NTMS)(2)](2)ZrMe(2) (9) was activated with MAO, it was found to be a good catalyst for the polymerization of propylene, at atmospheric pressure, producing an oily polymer resembling an atactic polypropylene. Being activated with B(C(6)F(5))(3), complex 9 produces a highly isotactic (mmmm = 98%) product. Likewise, when the polymerization of propylene was performed with complex 9 and MAO at high pressure (liquid propylene), a highly stereoregular polymer was also obtained. Larger activities and stereoregularities were achieved by performing the reaction in CH(2)Cl(2) as compared to toluene. Contrary to complex 9, at atmospheric pressure the complex [4-CH(3)-C(6)H(4)C(NTMS)(2)](2)TiMe(2) (10) is not active either in CH(2)Cl(2) or in toluene. At high pressure, complex 10 produces elastomeric polypropylene. Activities of the isolobal complexes [C(6)H(4)C(NTMS)(2)](2)ZrMe(2) (11) and [C(6)H(4)C(NTMS)(2)](2)TiMe(2) (12) were found to be larger than those of complexes 9 and 10, respectively. Contrary to the structures of the elastomeric polypropylenes described in the literature, the obtained elastomers are characterized by frequent alternation of the isotactic domains with stereodefects. The stereoregular errors are formed by the intramolecular epimerization of the growing chain at the last inserted unit. The epimerization reaction was corroborated through the isomerization of alkenes.