Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C07—ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  • C07F—ACYCLIC, CARBOCYCLIC OR HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS CONTAINING ELEMENTS OTHER THAN CARBON, HYDROGEN, HALOGEN, OXYGEN, NITROGEN, SULFUR, SELENIUM OR TELLURIUM
  • C07F17/00—Metallocenes
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08F—MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS
  • C08F10/00—Homopolymers and copolymers of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10S526/00—Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 series
  • Y10S526/943—Polymerization with metallocene catalysts

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a new process, particularly simple, convenient and practical, for the preparation of metallocene compounds; more specifically, it relates to a process for the direct synthesis of metallocenes wherein the transition metal atom has at least one sigma ligand selected from the group consisting of linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated C r C 2o alkyl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, C 6 -C 20 aryl, C 7 -C 20 alkylaryl and C 7 -C 20 arylalkyl radicals, optionally containing Si or Ge atoms.
• These metallocenes are useful as catalyst components, e.g. in the polymerization, oligomerization and hydrogenation of olefins, in association with alumoxanes and/or compounds able to form alk lmetallocene cations.
• Homogeneous catalytic systems based on metallocenes in association with an aluminum alkyl compound or an alumoxane are well known in the state of the art and are widely used in the polymerization reaction of olefins.
• the European Patent Application EP 0 129 368 discloses catalysts comprising mono, di and tricyclopentadienyl coordination complexes with a transition metal and an alumoxane; more specifically, said coordination complexes are metallocene compounds of general formula:
• (C 5 R' is an optionally substituted cyclopentadienyl group, in which R' can be hydrogen, an alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkylaryl or arylalkyl radical, having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or two or four substituents R' on the same cyclopentadienyl group can form one or two rings, having 4 to 6 carbon atoms;
• R" is a divalent radical bridging the two cyclopentadienyl groups;
• M is a transition metal belonging to groups 4, 5 or 6 of the Periodic Table of the Elements; p is 0, 1 or 2; s is 0 or 1; m is 0 to 5; and the sigma ligands Q, same or different from each other, can be halogen atoms, alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, aryl, al
• the sigma ligands of the central metal atom are usually halogen, preferably chlorine; also metallocene dialkyls, particularly dimethyls, have been developed and are widely used as catalyst components for olefin polymerization reactions, in association with suitable cocatalysts, such as alumoxanes and borate salts, e.g.
• metallocene dihalide usually the metallocene dichloride, by reacting suitable ligand/s with MX 4 , wherein X is halogen (usually TiCl 4 or ZrCl 4 );
• step (2) 2) converting the metallocene dihalide obtained in step (1) into the corresponding dialkyl or diaryl complex, by substitution of the halogens linked to the metal atom with the desired alkyl or aryl groups, by means of an alkylating agent such as alkyllithium, dialkylmagnesium or the corresponding Grignard reagent.
• an alkylating agent such as alkyllithium, dialkylmagnesium or the corresponding Grignard reagent.
• the International Patent Application WO 96/19488 describes a method for preparing metallocene alky Is comprising, among the others, the steps of reacting a cyclopentadienyl ligand metal salt with a perhalogenated group 4-6 transition metal compound and subsequently reacting the thus obtained metallocene dihalide with at least two molar equivalents of an alkylating agent; after separation and purification procedures, metallocene alky Is are isolated.
• Cp is a substituted or unsubstituted cyclopentadienyl group, optionally condensed to one or more substituted or unsubstituted, saturated, unsaturated or aromatic rings, containing from 4 to 6 carbon atoms, optionally containing one or more heteroatoms;
• A is -O-, -S-, -N(R 2 )-, wherein R 2 is hydrogen, a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated C r C 20 alkyl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, C 6 -C 20 aryl, C 7 -C 20 alkylaryl or C 7 -C 20 arylalkyl, or A has the same meaning of Cp;
• M is a transition metal belonging to group 3, 4, 5, 6 or to the lanthanide or actinide groups of the Periodic Table of the Elements (IUPAC version);
• the substituents L same or different from each other, are monoanionic sigma ligands selected from the group consisting of linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated C J -C JO alkyl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, C 6 -C 20 aryl, C 7 -C 20 alkylaryl and C 7 -C 20 arylalkyl groups, optionally containing one or more Si or Ge atoms; preferably, the substituents L are the same; the substituents L', same or different from each other, are halogens or -OR 5 , wherein R 5 has the same meaning of R 1 ; m is 1 or 2, and more specifically it is 1 when Z is N or P, and it is 2 when Z is C, Si or
• step (2) reacting the product obtained from step (1) with at least 1 molar equivalent of a compound of formula ML' S , wherein M and L' have the meaning reported above; s is an integer corresponding to the oxidation state of the metal and ranges from 3 to 6.
• the process of the invention allows to obtain metallocene compounds wherein the metal bears one or more sigma-bonded hydrocarbon substituents, in a simple, rapid and economic way, leading to the desired products with a one-step process starting from the suitable ligands; furthermore, said process leads to final yields much higher than the ones obtainable with the procedures known in the state of the art, therefore allowing a convenient industrial exploitation of the above metallocene compounds as catalyst components in the polymerization of olefins.
• the divalent bridge (ZR 1 n is preferably selected from the group consisting of CR' 2 , (CR 1 2 ) 2 , (CR 1 ⁇ , SiR' 2 , GeR ⁇ , NR 1 and PR 1 , R 1 having the meaning reported above; more preferably, said divalent bridge is Si(CH 3 ) 2 , SiPh 2 , CH 2 ,
• variable m is 1 or 2; the variable n ranges from 0 to 4 and, when n > 1, the atoms Z can be the same or different from each other, such as in divalent bridges -CH 2 -O-, -CH 2 -S- and -CH 2 -Si(CH 3 ) 2 -.
• the ligand Cp which is ⁇ -bonded to said metal M, is preferably selected from the group consisting of cyclopentadienyl, mono-, di-, tri- and tetra-methyl cyclopentadienyl; 4-'butyl- cyclopentadienyl; 4-adamantyl-cyclopentadienyl; indenyl; mono-, di-, tri- and tetra-methyl indenyl; 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindenyl; fluorenyl; 5,10-dihydroindeno[l,2-b]indol-10-yl; N- methyl- or N-phenyl-5,10-dihydroindeno [l,2-b]indol-10-yl; 5,6-dihydroindeno[2J-b]indol-
• 6-yl N-methyl-or N-phenyl-5,6-dihydroindeno[2J-b]indol-6-yl; azapentalene-4-yl; thiapentalene-4-yl; azapentalene-6-yl; thiapentalene-6-yl; mono-, di- and tri-methyl- azapentalene-4-yl .
• the group A has preferably the same meaning of Cp, and more preferably is cyclopentadienyl, indenyl or tetrahydroindenyl.
• the metal M is preferably Ti, Zr or Hf, and more preferably Zr.
• the substituents L are preferably the same and are selected from the group consisting of C ,-
• the substituents L are selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, phenyl, benzyl and -CH 2 Si(CH 3 ) 3 .
• L is methyl.
• the substituents L' are preferably Cl, Br or OR 5 , wherein R 5 has the meaning reported above, and more preferably it is a C r C 6 alkyl or a C 6 -C ⁇ 0 aryl; even more preferably, L' is selected from the group consisting of Cl, -OEt, -OPr, -OBu and -OBz.
• n ranges from 0 to 4, and it is preferably 1 or 2.
• A can have only the meaning of Cp;
• Cp and A are preferably pentamethyl cyclopentadienyl, indenyl or 4,5,6,7- tetrahydroindenyl groups.
• Cp and A are preferably cyclopentadienyl, tetramethyl-cyclopentadienyl, indenyl, 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindenyl, 2- methyl-4 ,5,6, 7-tetrahydroindenyl , 4 ,7-dimethyl-4 ,5,6, 7-tetrahydroindenyl , 2,4, 7-trimethy 1-
• (ZR' n is preferably (CH 3 ) 2 Si, CH 2 or C 2 H 4 .
• step (2) reacting the product obtained from step (1) with at least 1 molar equivalent of a compound of formula ML' S , wherein M and L' have the meaning reported above, and s is an integer corresponding to the oxidation state of the metal and ranges from 3 to 6.
• the metallocene compounds of formula (I) can be finally isolated from the reaction mixture obtained in step (2) and optionally purified according to standard procedures.
• said leaving group Y is preferably selected from the group consisting of -H, -SiR 3 and -SnR 3 , wherein the groups R are C r C 20 -alkyl,
• the metal M is preferably Ti, Zr or Hf, and the substituents L' are preferably the same and are selected from the group consisting of -Cl, -Br, -OMe, -OEt, - OPr, -OBu and -OBz; the variable s ranges from 3 to 6 and corresponds to the oxidation state of the metal M.
• Said reactant is preferably selected from the group consisting of TiCl 4 ,
• L j B and LMgL' are alkylating agents, wherein L is preferably a C r C 7 alkyl group, a C 6 -C 14 aryl group, or a C 7 -C 14 arylalkyl group, optionally substituted with Si or Ge, and more preferably L is selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, phenyl, benzyl and -CH 2 Si(CH 3 ) 3 ; even more preferably, L is methyl.
• B is an alkaline or alkaline-earth metal, and preferably Li or Mg; j can be 1 or 2, as already reported.
• the compound LMgL' is a Grignard reagent, wherein Mg is magnesium and L and L' have the meanings reported above; L' is preferably Cl or Br.
• said alkylating agent is methyllithium
• the process of the invention is carried out in an aprotic solvent, either polar or apolar; said aprotic solvent is preferably an aromatic or aliphatic hydrocarbon or an ether, and more preferably it is selected from the group consisting of benzene, toluene, pentane, hexane, heptane, cyclohexane, diethylether, tetrahydrofurane or mixtures thereof.
• aprotic solvent is preferably an aromatic or aliphatic hydrocarbon or an ether, and more preferably it is selected from the group consisting of benzene, toluene, pentane, hexane, heptane, cyclohexane, diethylether, tetrahydrofurane or mixtures thereof.
• step (1) said ligand (Y-1)
• Cp)(ZR 1 n (A-Y) r is previously dissolved in an aprotic solvent and to the resulting solution is added the alkylating agent L j B or LMgL'; this addition is preferably carried out at a temperature ranging from -100°C and +80°C, and more preferably from -80°C and -20°C, over a period of 5-45 minutes, and more preferably of 10-20 minutes.
• the alkylating agent is preferably added in the form of a solution in one of the above mentioned aprotic solvents, and preferably by slowly dropping.
• reaction mixture is preferably allowed to react, under stirring, for a period ranging from 1 hour to 6 hours, and more preferably from 2 hours to 3 hours, at a temperature comprised between -10°C and +80°C, and more preferably at room temperature.
• step (2) the mixture obtained from step (1) is preferably cooled to a temperature ranging from -100°C and +80°C, and more preferably from -80°C and -70°C; then, ML' S is quickly added to the cooled mixture, in the form of a solution in one of the above mentioned aprotic solvents, preferably pentane.
• aprotic solvents preferably pentane.
• reaction mixture is then allowed to react for a period ranging from 6 hours to 36 hours, and more preferably from 12 hours and 18 hours, at a temperature comprised between -
• metallocene compounds of formula (I) can be isolated according to common procedures known in the state of the art. Mixtures of racemic and meso isomers can be obtained and pure isomers can be separated in high yields by using standard procedures.
• the process according to the present invention allows even to obtain pure isomeric forms (racemic or meso) of said metallocene compounds, in very high yield and using a convenient one-pot reaction.
• metallocene compounds obtained with the process according to the present invention are useful in homo or co-polymerization of olefins, in particular of ⁇ -olefins of formula
• CH 2 CHR wherein R is hydrogen or a C r C 20 alkyl, such as propylene, 1-butene,
• 1-pentene, 4-methyl-l-pentene, 1-hexene and 1-octene when contacted with alumoxanes and/or organometallic aluminum compounds. They can be advantageously used for the production of isotactic, syndiotactic or atactic polypropylene.
• cycloolefins such as cyclopentene, cyclohexene, norbornene and 4,6-dimethyl-l-heptene
• polyenes such as 1,4-hexadiene, isoprene, 1,3 -butadiene
• the above metallocenes form suitable polymerization catalytic systems in association with alumoxanes of formula: wherein the substituents R 3 can be a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, C.-C 20 alkyl, alkenyl or alkylaryl radical; or in association with an organometaUic aluminum compound of formula A1R 4 3.Z H Z , wherein
• R 4 can be C r C 10 alkyl, alkenyl or alkylaryl radicals, optionally containing one or more Si or
• alumoxanes acting as cocatalysts with the above metallocenes, are methylalumoxane (MAO), tris(2-methyl-propyl)alumoxane (TIBAO) and 2,4,4-trimethyl- pentylalumoxane (TIOAO).
• MAO methylalumoxane
• TIBAO tris(2-methyl-propyl)alumoxane
• TIOAO 2,4,4-trimethyl- pentylalumoxane
• organometaUic aluminum are trimethylaluminum (TMA), tris(2,4,4-trimethyl-pentyl)aluminum (TIOA), tris(2-methyl-propyl)aluminum (TIBA), tris(2,3,3-trimethyl-butyl)aluminum, tris(2J-dimethyl-hexyl)aluminum, tris(2,3-dimethyl- butyl)aluminum, tris(2,3-di ethyl-pentyl)aluminum, ttis(2,3-dimemyl-heptyl)aluminum, tris(2-memyl-3-ethyl-pentyl)aluminum and tris(2-ethyl-3,3-dimethyl-butyl).
• TMA trimethylaluminum
• TIOA tris(2,4,4-trimethyl-pentyl)aluminum
• TIBA tris(2-methyl-prop
• Suitable cocatalysts are compounds capable of forming a metallocene cation, having formula Y + Z " , wherein Y + is a Br ⁇ nsted acid (such as Ph 3 C + or HN + (n-Bu) 3 ) and Z " is a Br ⁇ nsted acid (such as Ph 3 C + or HN + (n-Bu) 3 ) and Z " is a Br ⁇ nsted acid (such as Ph 3 C + or HN + (n-Bu) 3 ) and Z " is a
• the above catalysts can be used on inert supports, such as silica, alumina, styrene/divinylbenzene copolymers, polyethylene or polypropylene, particularly suitable in gas phase polymerizations.
• inert supports such as silica, alumina, styrene/divinylbenzene copolymers, polyethylene or polypropylene, particularly suitable in gas phase polymerizations.
• the polymerization processes can be carried out in liquid phase, optionally in the presence of an inert hydrocarbon solvent either aromatic (e.g. toluene) or aliphatic (e.g. propane, hexane, heptane, isobutane, cyclohexane and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane).
• an inert hydrocarbon solvent either aromatic (e.g. toluene) or aliphatic (e.g. propane, hexane, heptane, isobutane, cyclohexane and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane).
• the polymerization temperature generally ranges from about 0°C to about 250°C, and preferably from 20 to 150°C.
• the ligand bis-(3-tetra-butyl-l-indenyl)methane was prepared by the base-catalyzed condensation of indene with formaldehyde, as described in Example 3 (a) and (b) of the European Patent Application No.97200933.6.
• the cooling bath was removed.
• the reaction mixture was stirred overnight (about 16 hours) at room temperature.
• the black mixture thus obtained was brought to dryness under reduced pressure.
• the resulting black powder was suspended in 100 mL of pentane and transferred into a filtration apparatus equipped with side arm (to allow solvent refluxing), connecting the system above and below the frit, a receiving flask on the bottom and bubble condenser on the top.
• the filtered 100 mL pentane solution (A) were separated and the remaining solid was extracted with refluxing pentane for about 6 hours.
• Ethylenebis(4,7-dimethyl-l-indenyl) zirconium dichloride was prepared by reacting 1,2- bis(4,7-dimethyl-indenyl)ethane with ZrCl 4 , as reported by L. Resconi et al.
• the reaction mixture was allowed to warm slowly to room temperature overnight (about

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• 1999
  • 1999-01-14 DE DE69903388T patent/DE69903388T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
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