Selective Trimerization of α-Olefins with Immobilized Chromium Catalyst for Lubricant Base Oils

Ancillary ligand effects on α-olefin polymerization catalyzed by zirconium metallocene: a computational study

The polymerization of α-olefins catalyzed by zirconium metallocene catalyst was systematically studied through experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Having achieved an agreement between theory and experiment, it was found that the effect of the catalyst ligand on the C[double bond, length as m-dash]C insertion reaction was significantly greater than that on the β-H elimination reaction. Therefore, the molecular weight of polymers can be increased by improving the activity of the C[double bond, length as m-dash]C insertion. In addition, in comparison with propylene, the chain length of α-olefins can directly affect the stereotacticity of polymerization products, owing to steric hindrance between the polymer chain and monomer.

Preparation of Extremely Active Ethylene Tetramerization Catalyst [iPrN(PAr2)2−CrCl2]+[B(C6F5)4]– (Ar = −C6H4-p-SiR3)

Numerous efforts have been made to achieve “on-purpose” 1-octene production since Sasol discovered a Cr-based selective ethylene tetramerization catalyst in the early 2000s. By preparing a series of bis(phosphine) ligands iPrN(PAr2)2 where the Ar contains a bulky –SiR3 substituent (Ar = −C6H4-p-Si(nBu)3 (1), −C6H4-p-Si(1-hexyl)3 (2), −C6H4-p-Si(1-octyl)3 (3), −C6H4-p-Si(2-ethylhexyl)3 (4), −C6H4-p-Si(3,7-dimethyloctyl)3 (5)), we obtained an extremely active catalyst that meets the criteria for commercial utilization. The Cr complexes [iPrN(PAr2)2−CrCl2]+[B(C6F5)4]–, obtained by reacting ligands 1–5 with [(CH3CN)4CrCl2]+[B(C6F5)4]–, showed high activity exceeding 6000 kg/g-Cr/h, when combined with the inexpensive iBu3Al, thus avoiding the use of expensive modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO). The bulky –SiR3 substituents played a key role in the success of catalysis by blocking the formation of inactive species (Cr complexes coordinated by two iPrN(PAr2)2 ligands, that is, [(iPrN(PAr2)2)2−CrCl2]+[B(C6F5)4]–). Among the complexes prepared, [3−CrCl2]+[B(C6F5)4]– exhibited the highest activity (11,100 kg/g-Cr/h, 100 kg/g-catalyst) with high 1-octene selectivity (75 wt%) and, moreover, mitigated the generation of undesired > C10 fractions (10.7 wt%). A 10-g-scale synthesis of 3 was developed, as well as a facile and low-cost synthetic method for [(CH3CN)4CrCl2]+[B(C6F5)4]–.

Replacement of the Common Chromium Source CrCl3(thf)3 with Well-Defined [CrCl2(μ-Cl)(thf)2]2

CrCl₃(thf)₃ is a common starting material in the synthesis of organometallic and coordination compounds of Cr. Deposited as an irregular solid with no possibility of recrystallization, it is not a purity guaranteed chemical, causing problems in some cases. In this work, we disclose a well-defined form of the THF adduct of CrCl₃ ([CrCl₂(μ-Cl)(thf)₂]₂), a crystalline solid, that enables structure determination by X-ray crystallography. The EA data and XRD pattern of the bulk agreed with the revealed structure. Moreover, its preparation procedure is facile: evacuation of CrCl₃·6H₂O at 100 °C, treatment with 6 equivalents of Me₃SiCl in a minimal amount of THF, and crystallization from CH₂Cl₂. The ethylene tetramerization catalyst [iPrN{P(C₆H₄-p-Si(nBu)₃)₂}₂CrCl₂]⁺[B(C₆F₅)₄]⁻ prepared using well-defined [CrCl₂(μ-Cl)(thf)₂]₂ as a starting material exhibited a reliably high activity (6600 kg/g-Cr/h; 1-octene selectivity at 40 °C, 75%), while that of the one prepared using the impure CrCl₃(thf)₃ was inconsistent and relatively low (~3000 kg/g-Cr/h). By using well-defined [CrCl₂(μ-Cl)(thf)₂]₂ as a Cr source, single crystals of [(CH₃CN)₄CrCl₂]⁺[B(C₆F₅)₄]⁻ and [{Et(Cl)Al(N(iPr)₂)₂}Cr(μ-Cl)]₂ were obtained, allowing structure determination by X-ray crystallography, which had been unsuccessful when the previously known CrCl₃(thf)₃ was used as the Cr source.