Ziegler-Natta catalysts propagation reactions

On the Mechanism of Olefin Polymerization by Ziegler-Natta Catalysts propagation reaction ... 

The coordination polymerization of ethylene and a-olefins with Ziegler-Natta catalysts involves, in general, many elementary reactions, such as initiation (formation of active centers), chain propagation, chain transfers and chain terminations. The length of growing polyolefin chains is limited by the chain-terminating processes, as schematically represented (for ethylene) by 21,49 51)... 

Isospecific Propagation Reaction Stereocontrol in the Presence of Heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta Catalysts... 

In an alkyne polymerisation system with Ziegler-Natta catalysts, chain transfer and termination reactions, similar to those postulated for olefin polymerisation, have been suggested to take place [25]. A possible chain transfer reaction is the formation of the Ti H species from the propagating chain end by /h hydride elimination ... 

Novel data on the composition of active centers of Ziegler-Natta catalysts and on the mechanism of propagation and chain transfer reactions are reviewed. These data are derived from the following trends in the study of the mechanism of catalytic polymerization a) determination of the number of active centers (mainly with the use of radioactive CO as a tag) b) analysis of the microstructure of polymers with the use of C-NMR c) analysis of specific features of highly active supported catalysts d) quantum-chemical calculation of the electronic structure of active centers and their reactions. 

The two-component catalytic systems used for olefin polymerization (Ziegler-Natta catalysts) are combinations of a compound of a IV-VIII group transition metal (catalyst) and an organometallic compound of a I-III group non-transition element (cocatalyst) An active center (AC) of polymerization in these systems is a compound (at the surface in the case of solid catalysts) which contains a transition metal-alkyl bond into which monomer insertion occurs during the propagation reaction. In the case of two-component catalysts an AC is formed by alkylation of a transition metal compound with the cocatalyst, for example ... 

Additionally, if the initiation reaction is more rapid an the chain propagation, a very narrow molecular weight distribution, MJM = 1 (Poisson distribution), is obtained. Typically living character is shown by the anionic polymerization of butadiene and isoprene with the lithium alkyls [77, 78], but it has been found also in butadiene polymerization with allylneodymium compounds [49] and Ziegler-Natta catalysts containing titanium iodide [77]. On the other hand, the chain growth can be terminated by a chain transfer reaction with the monomer via /0-hydride elimination, as has already been mentioned above for the allylcobalt complex-catalyzed 1,2-polymerization of butadiene. 

There is no single mechanism for Ziegler-Natta polymerization because of the variety of catalyst and co-catalyst systems as well as the different phases in which the reaction may take place. The process of stereoregular polymerization can be understood tfom the mechanism of initiation and propagation as the monomer is inserted at the polymerization site on the catalyst surface. The detailed mechanism for achieving stereospecificity is an active area of research (Corradini and Busico, 1989, Tait and Watkins, 1989), but some general principles may be learned tfom the simple Ziegler-Natta catalysts (Allcock and Lampe, 1981). 

Ziegler-Natta catalyst systems being mostly heterogeneous in nature, adsorption reactions are most likely to occur in such polymerizations and feature in their kinetic schemes (Erich and Mark, 1956). A number of kinetic schemes have thus been proposed based on the assumption that the polymerization centers are formed by the adsorption of metal alkyl species on to the surface of a crystalline transition metal halide and that chain propagation occurs between the adsorbed metal alkyl and monomer. In this regard the Rideal rate law and the Langmuir-Hinshelwood rate law for adsorption and reaction on solids assume importance see Problem 9.4). 

In metallocene-catalyzed olefin polymerization, the propagation reaction is terminated usually by chain transfer. It is generally believed that three major chain-transfer reactions exist in homogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalysts (Scheme 3) [8] ... 

The copolymerization theory presented in Chapter is of limited applicability to processes involving heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalysis. The simple copolymer model assumes the existence of only one active site for propagation, whereas the supported catalysts described above have reaction sites that vary in activity and stereoregulating ability. In addition, the catalytic properties of the active sites may vary with polymerization time. The simple copolymer model can be used with caution, however, by employing average or overall reactivity ratios to compare different catalysts and monomers. 

Ziegler-Natta polymerizations have the characteristics of living polymerization with regard to catalyst active sites but not individual propagating chains. Thus the propagating chains have lifetimes of seconds or minutes at most, while active sites have lifetimes of the order of hours or days. Each active site produces many polymer molecules. The termination of a polymer chain growing at an active center may occur by various reactions, as shown below with propylene as an example. 

The discovery that group IV metallocenes can be activated by methylaluminox-ane (MAO) for olefin polymerization has stimulated a renaissance in Ziegler-Natta catalysis [63]. The subsequent synthesis of well-defined metallocene catalysts has provided the opportunity to study the mechanism of the initiation, propagation, and termination steps of Ziegler-Natta polymerization reactions. Along with the advent of cationic palladium catalysts for the copolymerization of olefins and carbon monoxide [64, 65], these well-defined systems have provided extraordinary opportunities in the field of enantioselective polymerization. 

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