Chain end control

FIGURE 1.4 (a) Chain-end control and (b) Enantiomorphic site control of propylene insertion (P = growing polymer chain). 

Several catalysts have been found to produce iPP through the chain-end control mechanism. These include the Cp2TiR2/MAO systems (Cp = C5H5 or substituted Cp R = Ph or Cl) and (pyridyldiimine)FeCl2/modified methylaluminoxane catalysts. Low polymerization temperatures are required to achieve moderate isotacticity with both classes of catalysts. The frequency of misinsertions produces an average stereoblock length of less than 16 units, the minimum required for 

Stereoselective Polymerization with Single-Site Catalysts 

Above we mentioned the results reported by Ewen [13] who found that Cp2TiPh2/alumoxane gives a polypropene with isotactic stereoblocks. Naturally, this achiral catalyst can only give chain-end control as it lacks the necessary chiral centre for site control. In the 13C NMR the stereoblocks can be clearly observed as they lead to the typical 1 1 ratio of mmmr and mmrm absorptions in addition to the main peak of mmmm pentads. These are two simple examples showing how the analysis of the 13C NMR spectra can be used for the determination of the most likely mechanism of control of the stereochemistry. Obviously, further details can be obtained from the statistical analysis of the spectra and very neat examples are known [18], 

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An excellent way to treat such data is to use reaction probability models.(1,2) In the NMR analysis of tacticity, it is frequently possible to distinguish whether the configuration is chain-end controlled or catalytic-site controlled during polymerization. Various statistical models have been proposed. The chain-end controlled models include Bemoullian (B), and first- and second-order Markovian (Ml and M2) statistics.(1) The simplest catalytic-site controlled model is the enantiomorphic site (E) model.(3) The relationship between the chain-end and catalytic-site controlled models and possible hybrid models have been delineated in a recent article.(4)... 

In contrast to the case of Cp2ZrX2/MAO giving atactic poly(alkene)s, Cp MCl2/MAO, M = Zr (139) and Hf (140), are the catalyst precursors of the syndiotactic polymerization of 1-butene and propylene [176]. Triad distribution indicated that this is chain-end controlled syndiospecific polymerization. The syndiospecificity is attributed to the increase of steric encumbrance around the metal center. Thus, Cp HfX2 is the most effective syndiospecific catalyst component in this system. 

With MAO activation, Zr- and Hf-FI catalysts 1 and 3 exhibit fairly high reactivity toward propylene and produce propylene oligomers [64, 65], Conversely, the corresponding Ti-FI catalyst/MAO 2 forms semicrystalline PP (1 °C polymerization), which displays a peak melting temperature of 97 °C, indicative of the formation of a stereoregular polymer. To our surprise, microstructural analysis by 13C NMR indicates that the resultant polymer is syndiotactic (rr 19%), and that a chain-end control mechanism is responsible for the observed stereocontrol, regardless of the C2 symmetric catalyst ([28] for the first report on syndiospecific propylene... 

The production of highly isotactic PPs with Zr- and Hf-FI catalysts//-Bu3Al/ Ph3CB(C6F5)4 (phenoxy-amine complexes site-controlled polymerization with 1,2-insertion) is in sharp contrast to that of highly syndiotactic PPs with Ti-FI cata-lysts/MAO (phenoxy-imine complexes chain-end controlled polymerization with 2,1-insertion), which will be described later [64]. 

We have demonstrated that despite a chain-end control mechanism, the steric bulk of the substituent ortho to the phenoxy-0 controls the syndioselectivity of the... 

A site-inversion mechanism (the key feature of which is that isomerization between diastereomeric and A configurations is rapid on the propylene-insertion time scale) based on theoretical calculations was proposed by Cavallo and coworkers in order to explain the ligand-directed chain-end controlled polymerizations (Fig. 35) [42]. The site-inversion mechanism allows chain-end control to work in concert with the site control effects. Our experimental results and the expected catalytic behavior resulting from the site-inversion mechanism concur with each other very well. 

Section 4 will deal with catalytic systems whose stereospecificity is controlled principally by the chirality of the closest tertiary carbon atom of the growing chain (chain-end stereocontrol). In Section 4.1 possible mechanisms for chain-end controlled isospecific and syndiospecific propene polymerizations will be reviewed. In Section 4.2 informations relative to the mechanism of chain-end controlled syndiospecific polymerization of styrene and substituted styrenes will be reviewed. In Section 4.3 chain-end controlled mechanisms for the isospecific and syndiospecific cis-1,4 and 1,2 polymerizations of dienes will be presented. 

Since the 1960s the syndiospecific chain-end controlled polymerization of propene in the presence of homogeneous vanadium-based catalytic systems has been known. For these systems, it has been well established by the work of Zambelli and co-workers that the polymerization is poorly regioselective and the stereoselective (and possibly syndiospecific) step is propene insertion into the metal secondary carbon bond with formation of a new secondary metal-carbon bond.133134... 

Chain-end controlled isospecificity and syndiospecificity for 1-alkene polymerizations at low temperatures with achiral metallocenes have also been reported.2,163 81131135 The polymerization with these catalysts is highly regio-specific in favor of primary monomer insertion. 

A syndiospecific chain-end controlled propene polymerization by Brookhart-type136 Ni(II) catalysts at low temperatures, also occurring through a primary... 

Recently, bis(imino)pyridyl Fe(II)-based catalysts have been reported to afford isospecific chain-end controlled propene polymerization occurring through secondary monomer insertion.138 139 Even more recently, catalytic systems based on the octahedral bis(salicylaldiminato)Ti complex have been reported to afford syndiospecific chain-end controlled propene polymerization,140 which possibly occurs through secondary monomer insertion.141... 

Site control versus chain-end control. Over the years two mechanisms have been put forward as being responsible for the stereo-control of the growing polymer chain firstly the site-control mechanism and secondly the chain-end control mechanism. In the site control mechanism the structure of the catalytic site determines the way the molecule of 1-alkene will insert (enantiomorphic site control). Obviously, the Cossee mechanism belongs to this class. As we have seen previously, propene is prochiral and a catalyst may attack either the re-face or the, v/-facc. If the catalyst itself is chiral as the one drawn in Figure 10.2, a diastereomeric complex forms and there may be a preference for the... 

Summarising, in the chain-end control mechanism the last monomer inserted determines how the next molecule of 1-alkene will insert. Several Italian schools [7] have supported the latter mechanism. What do we know so far Firstly, there are catalysts not containing a stereogenic centre that do give stereoregular polymers. Thus, this must be chain-end controlled. Secondly, whatever site-control we try to induce, the chain that we are making will always contain, by definition, an asymmetric centre. As we have mentioned above, the nature of the solid catalysts has an enormous influence on the product, and this underpins the Cossee site-control mechanism. Thus both are operative and both are important. Occasionally, chain-end control alone suffices to ensure enantiospecifity. 

Figure 10.4. Simple model showing enantiomorphic chain-end control...

Ewen was the first to report the synthesis of stereoregular propene polymers with soluble Group 4 metal complexes and alumoxane as the co-catalyst [13], He found that Cp2TiPh2 with alumoxane and propene gives isotactic polypropene. This catalyst does not contain an asymmetric site that would be able to control the stereoregularity. A stereo-block-polymer is obtained, see Figure 10.6. Formation of this sequence of regular blocks is taken as a proof for the chain-end control mechanism. 

The explanation for the existence of a stereo-block polymer is that after a mistake this mistake will propagate as the chain end controls the stereochemistry of the new centre to be formed. Thus after the mistake has occurred, the polymer switches the stereochemistry from s to r. 

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