Olefin complexes polymerization

A key question remains how is the olefin formed in the overall process Molecular tantalum complexes are known to undergo facile a- and transfer processes, leading to tantalumalkylidene and tantalum tt-olefin complexes, respectively (mechanism 9, Scheme 29) [98]. Moreover, olefin polymerization with tantalum complexes belongs to the rare case in which the Green-Rooney mechanism seems to operate (Eq. 10, Scheme 29) [102]. Finally, intramolecular H-transfer between perhydrocarbyl ligands has been exemplified (Eq. 11, Scheme 29) [103,104]. 

As described in Section 9.1.2.2.3, several lanthanocene alkyls are known to be ethylene polymerization catalysts.221,226-229 Both (188) and (190) have been reported to catalyze the block copolymerization of ethylene with MMA (as well as with other polar monomers including MA, EA and lactones).229 The reaction is only successful if the olefin is polymerized first reversing the order of monomer addition, i.e., polymerizing MMA first, then adding ethylene only affords PMMA homopolymer. In order to keep the PE block soluble the Mn of the prepolymer is restricted to <12,000. Several other lanthanide complexes have also been reported to catalyze the preparation of PE-b-PMMA,474 76 as well as the copolymer of MMA with higher olefins such as 1-hexene.477... 

The most famous mechanism, namely Cossets mechanism, in which the alkene inserts itself directly into the metal-carbon bond (Eq. 5), has been proposed, based on the kinetic study [134-136], This mechanism involves the intermediacy of ethylene coordinated to a metal-alkyl center and the following insertion of ethylene into the metal-carbon bond via a four-centered transition state. The olefin coordination to such a catalytically active metal center in this intermediate must be weak so that the olefin can readily insert itself into the M-C bond without forming any meta-stable intermediate. Similar alkyl-olefin complexes such as Cp2NbR( /2-ethylene) have been easily isolated and found not to be the active catalyst precursor of polymerization [31-33, 137]. In support of this, theoretical calculations recently showed the presence of a weakly ethylene-coordinated intermediate (vide infra) [12,13]. The stereochemistry of ethylene insertion was definitely shown to be cis by the evidence that the polymerization of cis- and trans-dideutero-ethylene afforded stereoselectively deuterated polyethylenes [138]. 

This observation may well explain the considerable difference between metal-olefin and metal-acetylene chemistry observed for the trinuclear metal carbonyl compounds of this group. As with iron, ruthenium and osmium have an extensive and rich chemistry, with acetylenic complexes involving in many instances polymerization reactions, and, as noted above for both ruthenium and osmium trinuclear carbonyl derivatives, olefin addition normally occurs with interaction at one olefin center. The main metal-ligand framework is often the same for both acetylene and olefin adducts, and differs in that, for the olefin complexes, two metal-hydrogen bonds are formed by transfer of hydrogen from the olefin. The steric requirements of these two edgebridging hydrogen atoms appear to be considerable and may reduce the tendency for the addition of the second olefin molecule to the metal cluster unit and hence restrict the equivalent chemistry to that observed for the acetylene derivatives. 

Several olefin complexes of the Ru(II) aqua-ion [42-44] and of the other Ru complexes [45, 46] have been synthesized and characterized in the ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) or olefin isomerization reactions. The simplest olefin complexes of Ru were also observed, isolated and characterized under ethy-... 

The calculated transition state for -hydrogen transfer (Fig. 3) has a non-planar 6-membered ring structure. There is no direct interaction between the aluminium atom and the hydrogen being transferred. Thus, the situation differs sharply from that for transition metal polymerization, where the transition state has some resemblance to a hydride-bis(olefin) complex, as illustrated for a typical metallocene case in Fig. 3. 

The only direct evidence for the presence of metal-carbene-olefin intermediates in catalytic metathesis systems comes from a study of the interaction of the tungsten cyclopentylidene complex 27 with cycloalkenes such as cycloheptene 28 in CD2CI2. When these are mixed at —96 °C and the temperature raised to between —53 and —28 °C, no polymerization occurs but the 13C NMR spectrum contains additional resonances which may be assigned to the metal-carbene-olefin complex 29. The line intensities show that the equilibrium 7 moves to the right as the temperature is lowered120. 

Spontaneous copolymerizations are encountered much more frequently, particularly when monomers of opposite polarity are mixed [9-10]. Early workers noticed that, upon mixing of certain electron-rich and electron-poor olefins, spontaneous polymerizations occurred without added initiator [99, 124 128]. Mixing electron-rich olefins with electron-poor olefins almost always results in brightly colored solutions. The colors are due to the CT excitation (hvCT) of the electron-donor-acceptor (EDA) complex [129], Theories for these spontaneous polymerizations mostly center around the charge-transfer complexes (CT or EDA complexes) [128]. 

Polymeric phosphin-Ni complex also has a selectivity in its catalytic activity (154). Such a sterically selectivity is shown in an intrapolymer electrophilic reaction of Fe-carbonyl-olefin complex (155,156). 

Based on these kinetic and microscopic observations, olefin polymerization by supported catalysts can be described by a shell by shell fragmentation, which progresses concentrically from the outside to the centre of the support particles, each of which can thus be considered as a discrete microreactor. A comprehensive mathematical model for this complex polymerization process, which includes rate constants for all relevant activation, propagation, transfer and termination steps, serves as the basis for an adequate control of large-scale industrial polymerizations with Si02-supported metallocene catalysts [A. Alex-iadis, C. Andes, D. Ferrari, F. Korber, K. Hauschild, M. Bochmann, G. Fink, Macromol. Mater. Eng. 2004, 289, 457]. 

His proposal involved a metal carbene and a metallocyclobutane intermediate and was the first proposed mechanism consistent with all experimental observations to date. Later, Grubbs and coworkers performed spectroscopic studies on reaction intermediates and confirmed the presence of the proposed metal carbene. These results, along with the isolation of various metal alkyli-dene complexes from reaction mixtures eventually led to the development of well-defined metal carbene-containing catalysts of tungsten and molybdenum [23-25] (Fig. 2). After decades of research on olefin metathesis polymerization, polymer chemists started to use these well-defined catalysts to create novel polymer structures, while the application of metathesis in small molecule chemistry was just beginning. These advances in the understanding of metathesis continued, but low catalyst stability greatly hindered extensive use of the reaction. 

However, there is still a lot to do. The chemistry of lanthanide carbonyl and olefin complexes, and the complexes containing a lanthanide to transition metal bond and/or a lanthanide to lanthanide bond is still underdeveloped. To fully utilize these new aspects of reductive chemistry clever approaches will be needed. The development of highly active activatorless olefin polymerization catalysts and chiral versions of these families of complexes, and the catalysts for Cl chemistry are still the challenges. So, organolanthanide chemistry will continue to be an attractive field for organometallic chemists and there are many opportunities for the future. 

In the second case if the transition metal—olefin complex is stable the polymerization will be first order in monomer [25]. 

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