Ethylene and polymerization

Catalyst libraries for combinatorial screening of diimine-based nickel and palladium catalysts can be developed by attaching a diketone to a Merrifield resin, reacting with a variety of anilines in the presence of a dehydrating catalyst, and complexing with the metal (Scheme 25). After each variant is activated with MAO or borate salt, the 96-well microtiter plate is exposed to ethylene and polymerization activity is qualitatively determined by infrared imaging. 

Coordination polymerization of olefins was first proposed in 1956 for the unusual, at that time, low-pressure polymerization of ethylene and polymerization of propylene with the transition metal catalysts discovered by Ziegler in 1953, and for the ferric chloride catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of propylene oxide to crystalline polymer reported by Pruitt et al. in a Dow patent. Polymerization carried out in the presence of a coordination catalyst is referred to as coordination polymerization . This term is used when each polymerization step involves the complexation of the monomer before its enchainment at the active site of the catalyst [9]. 

Figure 10 shows the inherit advantage of lactic acid produced by the universal metabohc pathway shared by most living organisms from humans, to plants, to microbes. Through the anaerobic glycolysis pathway, two lactic acid molecules (A/ =90) are produced from one glucose (M =180) with a 100% theoretical yield (i.e., no loss at all). For the anaerobic fermentation of ethanol, the theoretical yield is around 51% with two CO M =AA) molecules lost per glucose. After ethanol has been dehydrated to ethylene and polymerized into bio-PE, the theoretical yield from glucose is only around 31% compared with 80% for PLA (Fig. 10). For PHBV-like biopolymer synthesized in microbial cells, the building block is typically acetyl-CoA with around 51% theoretical yield after the loss of CO (decarboxylation) from...

Competition between NR and bio-based SR (SR made from biosourced feedstock) should not be underestimated. For example in 2012, LANXESS is planning to produce the world s first SR, i.e. ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber (under the brand name of Keltan Eco) from ethylene derived from sugar cane at its Triunfo plant in Brazil. The ethanol is dehydrated into ethylene and polymerized to produce EPDM rubber." Besides, bio-based SR is suggested to be the bio-based feedstock of poly(butadiene) rubber for tyre industries. 

Octene n. C6Hi3CH=CH2. A co-monomer, made from ethylene, and polymerized with ethylene to make linear, low-density polyethylene See image). 

Polynorbornene, the first metathesis polymer produced in industrial scale, was marketed in 1976 by CdF Chimie under the trade name Norsorex . The monomer is produced by Diels Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene and ethylene and polymerized in n-butanol using an RuCls/HCl catalyst. Norsorex is a very high molecular weight (Mn > 2 x 10 g/mol), thermoplast (rg = 35°C) with approximately 90% trans-dovhXe bonds. The polymer is compatible with high loads of extending oils and plasticizers (up to 700%) and easily vulcanizable. By addition of suitable amounts of plasticizers the polymer is converted into an elastomer (Tg = —60 °C). 

Copolymerization to form polyketones proceeds by the carbonylation of some alkenes in the absence of nucleophiles. Copolymerization of CO and norbornadiene takes place to give the polyketone 28(28]. Reaction of ethylene and other alkenes with CO affords the polyketones 29. The use of cationic Pd catalysts and bipyridyl or 1,10-phenanthroline is important for the polymerization [29-31]. 

Dimerization in concentrated sulfuric acid occurs mainly with those alkenes that form tertiary carbocations In some cases reaction conditions can be developed that favor the formation of higher molecular weight polymers Because these reactions proceed by way of carbocation intermediates the process is referred to as cationic polymerization We made special mention m Section 5 1 of the enormous volume of ethylene and propene production in the petrochemical industry The accompanying box summarizes the principal uses of these alkenes Most of the ethylene is converted to polyethylene, a high molecular weight polymer of ethylene Polyethylene cannot be prepared by cationic polymerization but is the simplest example of a polymer that is produced on a large scale by free radical polymerization... 

Section 14 15 Coordination polymerization of ethylene and propene has the biggest eco nomic impact of any organic chemical process Ziegler-Natta polymer ization IS carried out using catalysts derived from transition metals such as titanium and zirconium tt Bonded and ct bonded organometallic com pounds are intermediates m coordination polymerization... 

Commonly used isocyanates are toluene dhsocyanate, methylene diphenyl isocyanate, and polymeric isocyanates. Polyols used are macroglycols based on either polyester or polyether. The former [poly(ethylene phthalate) or poly(ethylene 1,6-hexanedioate)] have hydroxyl groups that are free to react with the isocyanate. Most flexible foam is made from 80/20 toluene dhsocyanate (which refers to the ratio of 2,4-toluene dhsocyanate to 2,6-toluene dhsocyanate). High-resilience foam contains about 80% 80/20 toluene dhsocyanate and 20% poly(methylene diphenyl isocyanate), while semi-flexible foam is almost always 100% poly(methylene diphenyl isocyanate). Much of the latter reacts by trimerization to form isocyanurate rings. 

The addition of alcohols to form the 3-alkoxypropionates is readily carried out with strongly basic catalyst (25). If the alcohol groups are different, ester interchange gives a mixture of products. Anionic polymerization to oligomeric acrylate esters can be obtained with appropriate control of reaction conditions. The 3-aIkoxypropionates can be cleaved in the presence of acid catalysts to generate acrylates (26). Development of transition-metal catalysts for carbonylation of olefins provides routes to both 3-aIkoxypropionates and 3-acryl-oxypropionates (27,28). Hence these are potential intermediates to acrylates from ethylene and carbon monoxide. 

Other Plastics Uses. The plasticizer range alcohols have a number of other uses in plastics hexanol and 2-ethylhexanol are used as part of the catalyst system in the polymerization of acrylates, ethylene, and propylene (55) the peroxydicarbonate of 2-ethylhexanol is utilized as a polymerization initiator for vinyl chloride various trialkyl phosphites find usage as heat and light stabHizers for plastics organotin derivatives are used as heat stabHizers for PVC octanol improves the compatibHity of calcium carbonate filler in various plastics 2-ethylhexanol is used to make expanded polystyrene beads (56) and acrylate esters serve as pressure sensitive adhesives. 

Copolymers of VF and a wide variety of other monomers have been prepared (6,41—48). The high energy of the propagating vinyl fluoride radical strongly influences the course of these polymerizations. VF incorporates well with other monomers that do not produce stable free radicals, such as ethylene and vinyl acetate, but is sparingly incorporated with more stable radicals such as acrylonitrile [107-13-1] and vinyl chloride. An Alfrey-Price value of 0.010 0.005 and an e value of 0.8 0.2 have been determined (49). The low value of is consistent with titde resonance stability and the e value is suggestive of an electron-rich monomer. 

Polymerization. The first successful polymerizations of VDE in aqueous medium using peroxide initiators at 20—150°C and pressures above 30 MPa were described in a patent issued in 1948 (73). About a year later, the first copolymerizations of VDE with ethylene and halogenated ethylenes were also patented (74). After a hiatus of over 12 years a commercially feasible process was developed and PVDE was ready for market introduction (2). 

Peioxydicaibonates are efficient polymerization initiators for most vinyl monomer polymerizations, especially for monomers such as acrylates, ethylene, and vinyl chloride. They are particularly good initiators for less reactive monomers such as those containing aHyl groups. They are also effective for curing of unsaturated polyester mol ding resins. 

Density. The density (crystallinity) of catalyticaHy produced PE is primarily determined by the amount of comonomer ( a-olefin) in ethylene copolymer. This amount is easily controlled by varying the relative amounts of ethylene and the comonomer in a polymerization reactor. In contrast, the density of PE produced in free-radical processes is usually controlled by temperature. 

Solution Polymerization. Two types of solution polymerization technologies are used for LLDPE synthesis. One process utilizes heavy solvents the other is carried out in mixtures of supercritical ethylene and molten PE as a polymerization medium. Original solution processes were introduced for low pressure manufacture of PE resins in the late 1950s subsequent improvements of these processes gradually made them economically competitive with later, more advanced technologies. 

The second type of solution polymerization concept uses mixtures of supercritical ethylene and molten PE as the medium for ethylene polymerization. Some reactors previously used for free-radical ethylene polymerization in supercritical ethylene at high pressure (see Olefin POLYMERS,LOW DENSITY polyethylene) were converted for the catalytic synthesis of LLDPE. Both stirred and tubular autoclaves operating at 30—200 MPa (4,500—30,000 psig) and 170—350°C can also be used for this purpose. Residence times in these reactors are short, from 1 to 5 minutes. Three types of catalysts are used in these processes. The first type includes pseudo-homogeneous Ziegler catalysts. In this case, all catalyst components are introduced into a reactor as hquids or solutions but form soHd catalysts when combined in the reactor. Examples of such catalysts include titanium tetrachloride as well as its mixtures with vanadium oxytrichloride and a trialkyl aluminum compound (53,54). The second type of catalysts are soHd Ziegler catalysts (55). Both of these catalysts produce compositionaHy nonuniform LLDPE resins. Exxon Chemical Company uses a third type of catalysts, metallocene catalysts, in a similar solution process to produce uniformly branched ethylene copolymers with 1-butene and 1-hexene called Exact resins (56). 

Olig omerization and Polymerization. Siace an aHyl radical is stable, linear a-olefins are not readily polymerized by free-radical processes such as those employed ia the polymerization of styrene. However, ia the presence of Ziegler-Natta catalysts, these a-olefins can be smoothly converted to copolymers of various descriptions. Addition of higher olefins during polymerization of ethylene is commonly practiced to yield finished polymers with improved physical characteristics. 

Further improvements in reaction rates and polymerization control have led to the commercial availabihty of poly(ethylene oxide) of varying molecular weights. 

Catalysts. Silver and silver compounds are widely used in research and industry as catalysts for oxidation, reduction, and polymerization reactions. Silver nitrate has been reported as a catalyst for the preparation of propylene oxide (qv) from propylene (qv) (58), and silver acetate has been reported as being a suitable catalyst for the production of ethylene oxide (qv) from ethylene (qv) (59). The solubiUty of silver perchlorate in organic solvents makes it a possible catalyst for polymerization reactions, such as the production of butyl acrylate polymers in dimethylformamide (60) or the polymerization of methacrylamide (61). Similarly, the solubiUty of silver tetrafiuoroborate in organic solvents has enhanced its use in the synthesis of 3-pyrrolines by the cyclization of aHenic amines (62). 

Reaction and Heat-Transfer Solvents. Many industrial production processes use solvents as reaction media. Ethylene and propylene are polymerized in hydrocarbon solvents, which dissolves the gaseous reactant and also removes the heat of reaction. Because the polymer is not soluble in the hydrocarbon solvent, polymer recovery is a simple physical operation. Ethylene oxide production is exothermic and the catalyst-filled reaction tubes are surrounded by hydrocarbon heat-transfer duid. 

In the reaction of ethylene with sulfuric acid, several side reactions can lead to yield losses. These involve oxidation, hydrolysis—dehydration, and polymerization, especially at sulfuric acid concentrations >98 wt % the sulfur thoxide can oxidize by cycHc addition processes (99). 

By-products from EDC pyrolysis typically include acetjiene, ethylene, methyl chloride, ethyl chloride, 1,3-butadiene, vinylacetylene, benzene, chloroprene, vinyUdene chloride, 1,1-dichloroethane, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, 1,1,1-trichloroethane [71-55-6] and other chlorinated hydrocarbons (78). Most of these impurities remain with the unconverted EDC, and are subsequendy removed in EDC purification as light and heavy ends. The lightest compounds, ethylene and acetylene, are taken off with the HCl and end up in the oxychlorination reactor feed. The acetylene can be selectively hydrogenated to ethylene. The compounds that have boiling points near that of vinyl chloride, ie, methyl chloride and 1,3-butadiene, will codistiU with the vinyl chloride product. Chlorine or carbon tetrachloride addition to the pyrolysis reactor feed has been used to suppress methyl chloride formation, whereas 1,3-butadiene, which interferes with PVC polymerization, can be removed by treatment with chlorine or HCl, or by selective hydrogenation. 

Boron Bromide. Approximately 30% of BBr produced in the United States is consumed in the manufacture of proprietory pharmaceuticals (qv) (7). BBr is used in the manufacture of isotopicaHy enriched crystalline boron, as a Etiedel-Crafts catalyst in various polymerization, alkylation, and acylation reactions, and in semiconductor doping and etching. Examples of use of BBr as a catalyst include copolymerization of butadiene with olefins (112) polymerization of ethylene and propylene (113), and A/-vinylcarbazole (114) in hydroboration reactions and in tritium labeling of steroids and aryl rings (5). 

The cadmium chalcogenide semiconductors (qv) have found numerous appHcations ranging from rectifiers to photoconductive detectors in smoke alarms. Many Cd compounds, eg, sulfide, tungstate, selenide, teUuride, and oxide, are used as phosphors in luminescent screens and scintiUation counters. Glass colored with cadmium sulfoselenides is used as a color filter in spectroscopy and has recently attracted attention as a third-order, nonlinear optical switching material (see Nonlinear optical materials). DiaLkylcadmium compounds are polymerization catalysts for production of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), poly(vinyl acetate) (PVA), and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Mixed with TiCl, they catalyze the polymerization of ethylene and propylene. 

Miscellaneous Reactions. Epoxy compounds yield chlorosubstituted carbonates (45). The reaction of chloroformates with hydrogen peroxide or metal peroxides results in the formation of peroxydicarbonates that are used as free-radical initiators of polymerization of vinyl chloride, ethylene, and other unsaturated monomers (46,47). 

Polymerization. Carbon monoxide forms copolymers with ethylene and suitable vinyl compounds. No large-scale uses for the copolymers or their further reaction products such as polyalcohols and polyamines have been found (75). 

The discovery by Ziegler that ethylene and propylene can be polymerized with transition-metal salts reduced with trialkyl aluminum gave impetus to investigations of the polymerization of conjugated dienes (7—9). In 1955, synthetic polyisoprene (90—97% tij -l,4) was prepared using two new catalysts. A transition-metal catalyst was developed at B. E. Goodrich (10) and an alkaU metal catalyst was developed at the Ekestone Tke Rubber Co. (11). Both catalysts were used to prepare tij -l,4-polyisoprene on a commercial scale (9—19). 

Commercially, anionic polymerization is limited to three monomers styrene, butadiene, and isoprene [78-79-5], therefore only two useful A—B—A block copolymers, S—B—S and S—I—S, can be produced direcdy. In both cases, the elastomer segments contain double bonds which are reactive and limit the stabhity of the product. To improve stabhity, the polybutadiene mid-segment can be polymerized as a random mixture of two stmctural forms, the 1,4 and 1,2 isomers, by addition of an inert polar material to the polymerization solvent ethers and amines have been suggested for this purpose (46). Upon hydrogenation, these isomers give a copolymer of ethylene and butylene. 

The addition of comonomers during the polymerization enables a higher flexibility compared to PVAc-homopolymerizates. This results in a lower glass transition temperature and a lower minimum temperature of the film formation. Possible comonomers are acrylic acid esters (butylacrylate, 2-ethylhexylacrylate), dialkylfumarates, ethylene and others. 

Polyethylene and polypropylene are semitransparent plastics made by polymerization. They are produced from ethylene and propylene in a variety of grades. Their mechanical properties are determined mainly by density (degree of crystallinity) and molecular weight, characterized by the Melt Index (MI). 

In the depropanizer tower the propane and lighter gases are taken overhead to become feed to the ethylene and propylene recovery facilities. Separation is accomplished at a relatively low overhead temperature of -25°F to minimize reboiler fouling by olefin polymerization. 

Having examined the properties of alkenes and introduced the elements of polymers and polymerization, let s now look at some commercial applications of ethylene and propene. 

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