Vanadium polymerization

Bjerrum and coworkers have assigned the three rate maxima shown in Figs. 10.7 and 10.8 to (starting from the negative potential) (a) destruction of vanadium polymeric chains (b) electric double layer effect at gold working electrode (c) stabilization of V (V) vs V (IV). These explanations are very plausible. 

Al—Ti Catalyst for cis-l,4-PoIyisoprene. Of the many catalysts that polymerize isoprene, four have attained commercial importance. One is a coordination catalyst based on an aluminum alkyl and a vanadium salt which produces /n j -l,4-polyisoprene. A second is a lithium alkyl which produces 90% i7j -l,4-polyisoprene. Very high (99%) i7j -l,4-polyisoprene is produced with coordination catalysts consisting of a combination of titanium tetrachloride, TiCl, plus a trialkyl aluminum, R Al, or a combination of TiCl with an alane (aluminum hydride derivative) (86—88). 

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). 

It is evident from Fig. 22.2 that only in very dilute solutions are monomeric vanadium ions found and any increase in concentrations, particularly if the solution is acidic, leads to polymerization. nmr work indicates that, starting from the alkaline side, the various ionic species are all based on 4-coordinate vanadium(V) in the form of linked VO4 tetrahedra until the decavana-dates appear. These evidently involve a higher coordination number, but whether or not it is the same in solution as in the solids which can be separated is uncertain. However, it is interesting to note that similarities between the vanadate and chromate systems cease with the appearance of the decavanadates which have no counterpart in chromate chemistry. The smaller chromium(VI) is apparently limited to tetrahedral coordination with oxygen, whereas vanadium(V) is not. 

Aliwi and coworkers have investigated many vanadium (V) chelate complexes as photoinitiators for vinyl polymerization [36-43]. The mixed ligand complex of chloro-oxo-bis(2,4-pentanedione) vanadium (V). VO(a-cac)2 Cl is used as the photoinitiator of polymerization... 

The polymerization of MMA photoinitiated by al-koxo-oxo-bis(8-quinolyloxo) vanadium (V) complex [VOQ2 OR] has also been studied [38,39]. The alkyloxo radical ( OR) formed from the photodecomposition of the chelate (A = 365) nm at 25°C) was found to be the initiating species ... 

The ion-pair complex formed by the interaction of hydroxobis(8-quinolyloxo) vanadium (V) [VOQ2OH] and /i-butyl amine is also effective in photoinitiation of polymerization of MMA in bulk and in solution [40]. The quantum yield of initiation and polymerization determined are equal to 0.166 and 35.0, respectively. Hydroxyl radical ( OH) is reported to be the initiating radical and the following photoreaction is suggested ... 

Several vanadium (V) complexes were also studied by Aliwi [41] in 1988 as possible photoinitiators for the radical polymerization of MMA. These complexes are oxo-tris(ethoxo) vanadium (V), VO(OC2H5)3, oxo-tris-(triphenylsiloxy) vanadium (V), VO(Si(C6Hs)3)3,... 

Hydroxy-containing polymers such as poly(methyl-methacrylate-co-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) [65,66] or secondary cellulose acetate [67,68] were used for this purpose. Vanadium (V) 8-hydroxy quinoline-hydroxy-ethyl methacrylate adduct, prepared by condensation of the latter with a VOQ2OH complex, is polymerized to... 

As in the case of ceric and vanadium ions, the reaction of organic compounds with Co(III) proceeds via formation of an intermediate complex. Such a complex decomposes and produces free radicals capable of initiating vinyl polymerization. However, only a few reports on Co(IIl) ion-initiated grafting onto cellulose fibers are available [38]. 

WClg, and vanadium-based initiators (Eq. 53), and the thermal polymerization of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene (Eq. 54). (Ringopening polymerizations of ethylene and propylene oxides,... 

Ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymers (EPDM), with their inherent complexity in structural parameters, owe their tensile properties to specific structures dictated by polymerization conditions, among which the controlling factor is the catalyst used in preparing the polymers. However, no detailed studies on correlation between tensile properties and EPDM structures have been published (l,2). An unusual vulcanization behavior of EPDMs prepared with vanadium carboxylates (typified by Vr g, carboxylate of mixed acids of Ccj-Cq) has been recently reported Q). This EPDM attains target tensile properties in 18 and 12 minutes at vulcanization temperatures of 150 and l60°C respectively, while for EPDMs prepared with V0Cl -Et3Al2Cl or V(acac) -Et2AlCl, about 50 and 0 minutes are usually required at the respective vulcanization temperatures, all with dieyclopentadiene (DCPD) as the third monomer and with the same vulcanization recipe. This observation prompted us to inquire into the inherent structural factors... 

When mixed with Et2AlCl, the vanadium(III) complex (87) polymerizes propylene at —78 °C in a living manner.241,242 Poor initiator efficiency ( 4%) and low activities were improved by employing complex (88) activities of lOOgmmol h bar 1 were reported and the polymerization of propylene remained living (Mw/Mn= 1.2-1.4) up to 40 °C.243 244 The synthesis of end-functionalized PP and PP copolymers has also been achieved using these initiators. 

The isoelectronic relationship has been applied to the vanadium complex with hydrotris(pyrazolyl)borato ligand, which possesses the same electronic features as the Cp ligand thus the combination of complex VCl2(NAr)Tp (158) (Ar = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl, Tp = hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl) borate) with MAO was reported to catalyze the polymerization of ethylene (at atmospheric pressure) and propylene (at 7 bar), giving polyethylene (14kg/mol-h, Mw = 47000, Mw/Mn = 3.0) and polypropylene (1 kg/mol h, Mw = 3800, Mw/Mn = 2.0), respectively [256]. 

The vanadium complex 159, bearing oligometallasilsesquioxanes, is an interesting model complex for surface species on silica [257]. Polymerization of ethylene with 159/MAO affords polyethylene with an Mn value of 2100 and an Mw value of 47900. An aluminum-vanadium adduct 160 polymerized ethylene without any cocatalysts, affording similar catalytic activity with the 159/MAO system [258]. 

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... 

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