Ziegler-Natta catalysts alkene polymerization

Ziegler-Natta catalyst for polymerization of alkenes. Considerable attention has been directed to double-bonded Fischer carbenes of Cr and W, the Schrock carbenes of Ta and Ti, and cyclic polyene ligands of Fe, Co, Cr, and U. Carbonyls of transition metals from groups 6 to 10 of the periodic table include both the monomeric compounds such as Cr(CO)g, Fe(CO)5, Ni(CO)4 and those with two metal groups such as Mn2(CO)io and Co2(CO)s, which is used industrially for hydroformylation. Although their source has not been identified, it has been shown that volatile compounds from landfills contain carbonyls of Mo and W (Feldmann and Cullen 1997). 

The stereospecific polymerization of alkenes is catalyzed by coordination compounds such as Ziegler-Natta catalysts, which are heterogeneous TiCl —AI alkyl complexes. Cobalt carbonyl is a catalyst for the polymerization of monoepoxides several rhodium and iridium coordination compounds... 

Even more important is the stereoregular catalytic polymerization of ethene and other alkenes to give high-density polyethene ( polythene ) and other plastics. A typical Ziegler-Natta catalyst can be made by mixing TiCU and Al2Eti in heptane partial reduction to Ti " and alkyl transfer occur, and a brown suspension forms which rapidly absorbs and polymerizes ethene even at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Typical industrial conditions are 50- 150°C and 10 atm. Polyethene... 

The first example of homogeneous transition metal catalysis in an ionic liquid was the platinum-catalyzed hydroformylation of ethene in tetraethylammonium trichlorostannate (mp. 78 °C), described by Parshall in 1972 (Scheme 5.2-1, a)) [1]. In 1987, Knifton reported the ruthenium- and cobalt-catalyzed hydroformylation of internal and terminal alkenes in molten [Bu4P]Br, a salt that falls under the now accepted definition for an ionic liquid (see Scheme 5.2-1, b)) [2]. The first applications of room-temperature ionic liquids in homogeneous transition metal catalysis were described in 1990 by Chauvin et al. and by Wilkes et ak. Wilkes et al. used weekly acidic chloroaluminate melts and studied ethylene polymerization in them with Ziegler-Natta catalysts (Scheme 5.2-1, c)) [3]. Chauvin s group dissolved nickel catalysts in weakly acidic chloroaluminate melts and investigated the resulting ionic catalyst solutions for the dimerization of propene (Scheme 5.2-1, d)) [4]. 

Alkene polymerization can be carried out in a controlled manner using a Ziegler-Natta catalyst. Ziegler-Natta polymerization minimizes the amount of chain branching in the polymer and leads to stereoregular chains—either isotactic (substituents on the same side of the chain) or syndiotactic (substituents on alternate sides of the chain), rather than atactic (substituents randomly disposed). 

Alkenes undergo addition polymerization. When a Ziegler-Natta catalyst is used, the polymer is stereoregular and has a high density. 

Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process is used for the production of hydrocarbon fuels. The process uses synthesis gases CO and H2O. It is shown that cobalt/alumina-based catalysts are highly active for the synthesis. The process is also used to convert coal to substitute or synthetic natural gas (SNG). The use of Fe-based catalysts is also believed to be attractive due to their high FT activity. HRTEM has played a major role in the study of phase transformations in Fe Fischer-Tropsch during temperature programmed reduction (TPR) using both CO and H2 (Jin et al 2000, Shroff et al 1995). TiClj/MgC -based (Ziegler-Natta) catalysts are used for polymerization of alkenes (Kim et al 2000) and EM is used to study the polymerization (Oleshko et al 2002). 

Catalysts. An extremely large number of catalysts and different catalyst combinations are known to catalyze the polymerization of alkenes. In our discussion we will classify them as Ziegler-Natta catalysts and one-component transition-metal catalysts. 

Applications of HT-type catalysts, prepared by the above methods, have been reported in recent years for basic catalysis (polymerization of alkene oxides, aldol condensation), steam reforming of methane or naphtha, CO hydrogenation as in methanol and higher-alcohol synthesis, conversion of syngas to alkanes and alkenes, hydrogenation of nitrobenzene, oxidation reactions, and as a support for Ziegler-Natta catalysts (Table 2). 

Only single insertions into an Al-C bond occur for propene and higher alkenes and this is utilized for catalytic dimerization of propene as illustrated in Scheme 3. Insertion of propene into an Al-C bond of "PrsAl followed by )3-hydride elimination yields an aluminum hydride and 2-methylpent-l-ene. Insertion of propene into the Al-H bond regenerates "PrsAl. Thermal cracking of 2-methylpent-l-ene gives isoprene, which is subsequently polymerized with a Ziegler-Natta catalyst to form the synthetic rubber, cA-1,4-polyisoprene. 

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