Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Note
  • Published:

Ethylene and propylene polymerization by bis(indolyl)-coordinated titanium dichlorido complexes activated by modified methylaluminoxane

Abstract

Olefin polymerization reactions mediated by diamido-supported titanium complexes are a part of post-metallocene studies. In the present work, dichlorido{di(3-methylindol-2-yl)phenylmethane}titanium (1) and dichlorido{di(3-methylindol-2-yl)-2-methoxyphenylmethane}titanium (2) were applied for ethylene polymerization. The results showed that the 2/MMAO catalyst system, where MMAO is a modified methylaluminoxane, exhibits ethylene polymerization activity up to 2494 (kg of polyethylene)/(mol of Ti)·h·atm. This activity is comparable to the highest known activity in catalyst systems based on diamido-supported titanium complexes. The 2/MMAO system was also active for propylene polymerization (344 (kg of polypropylene)/(mol of Ti)·h·atm) to furnish atactic polypropylene.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1
Scheme 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  1. Gibson VC, Spitzmesser SK. Advances in non-metallocene olefin polymerization catalysis. Chem Rev. 2003;103:283–315.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Britovsek GJP, Gibson VC, Wass DF. The search for new-generation olefin polymerization catalysts: Life beyond metallocenes. Angew Chem Int Ed. 1999;38:428–47.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Scollard JD, McConville DH, Payne NC, Vittal JJ. Polymerization of α-olefins by chelating diamide complexes of titanium. Macromolecules. 1996;29:5241–3.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Scollard JD, McConville DH. Living polymerization of α-olefins by chelating diamide complexes of titanium. J Am Chem Soc. 1996;118:10008–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Uozumi T, Tsubaki S, Jin J, Sano T, Soga K. Isospecific propylene polymerization using the [ArN(CH2)3NAr]TiCl2/Al(iBu)3/Ph3CB(C6F5)4 catalyst system in the presence of cyclohexene. Macromol Chem Phys. 2001;202:3279–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hagimoto H, Shiono T, Ikeda T. Living polymerization of propene with a chelating diamide complex of titanium using dried methylaluminoxane. Macromol Rapid Commun. 2002;23:73–6.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Ahn C-H, Tahara M, Uozumi T, Jin J, Tsubaki S, Sano T, et al. Copolymerization of 2-butene and ethylene with catalysts based on titanium and zirconium complexes. Macromol Rapid Commun. 2000;21:385–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Nomura K, Naga N, Takaoki K. Ethylene homopolymerization and ethylene/1-butene copolymerization catalyzed by a [1,8-C10H6(NR)2]TiCl2–cocatalyst system. Macromolecules. 1998;31:8009–15.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Jeon Y-M, Park SJ, Heo J, Kim K. Zirconium complexes with the new ancillary diamido ligand 2,2’-ethylenebis(N,N’-(triisopropylsilyl)anilinido)2–: Synthesis, structures, and living α-olefin polymerization activities. Organometallics. 1998;17:3161–3.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Gade LH Taming early transition metals: the use of polydentate amide-donor ligands to create well defined reactive sites in reagents and catalysts. Chem Commun. 2000;173-81.

  11. Guérin F, McConville DH, Vittal JJ. Conformationally rigid diamide complexes of zirconium: Electron deficient analogues of Cp2Zr. Organometallics. 1996;15:5586–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Baumann R, Davis WM, Schrock RR. Synthesis of titanium and zirconium complexes that contain the tridentate diamido ligand, [((t-Bu-d6)N-o-C6H4)2O]2– ([NON]2–) and the living polymerization of 1-hexene by activated [NON]ZrMe2. J Am Chem Soc. 1997;119:3830–1.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Schrock RR, Baumann R, Reid SM, Goodman JT, Stumpf R, Davis WM. Synthesis of titanium, zirconium, and hafnium complexes that contain diamido donor ligands of the type[(t-BuN-o-C6H4)2O]2– and an evaluation of activated versions for the polymerization of 1-hexene. Organometallics. 1999;18:3649–70.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Ohta S, Shimbayashi M, Miyamoto R, Okazaki M. Synthesis and structure of a bis(indolyl)–coordinated titanium diamido complex, and its catalytic applications in the intermolecular hydroamination of alkynes. Bull Chem Soc Jpn. 2018;91:1570–5.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Ohta S, Kasai Y, Toda T, Nishii K, Okazaki M. Ethylene polymerization and ethylene/1-octene copolymerization with a titanium complex supported by a bis(indolyl) ligand. Polym J. 2019;51:345–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Ohta S, Takahashi S, Takenaka A, Akazawa Y, Miyamoto R, Okazaki M. Synthesis, structures, and solution dynamics of titanium and zirconium complexes carrying a bis(indolyl) and two diethylamido ligands. Inorg Chem. 2019;58:15520–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Ohta S, Miura N, Saitoh K, Itoh K, Satoh S, Miyamoto R, et al. Synthesis and structures of bis(indolyl)-coordinated titanium dichlorido complexes and their catalytic application in the cyclotrimerization of alkynes. Organometallics. 2021;40:2826–35.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Resconi L, Camurati I, Grandini C, Rinaldi M, Mascellani N, Traverso O. Indenyl-amido titanium and zirconium dimethyl complexes: improved synthesis and use in propylene polymerization. J Organomet Chem. 2002;664:5–26.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Aizenberg M, Turculet L, Davis WM, Schattenmann F, Schrock RR. Synthesis of group 4 complexes that contain the tridentate diamido/donor ligands [(ArylNCH2CH2)2O]2– and zirconium complexes that contain [(ArylNCH2CH2)2S]2– and an evaluation of their activity for the polymerization of 1-hexene. Organometallics. 1998;17:4795–812.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Liang L-C, Schrock RR, Davis WM, McConville DH. Synthesis of group 4 complexes that contain the diamidoamine ligands, [(2,4,6-Me3C6H2NCH2CH2)2NR]2– ([Mes2N2NR]2–; R = H or CH3), and polymerization of 1-hexene by activated [Mes2N2NR]ZrMe2 complexes. J Am Chem Soc. 1999;121:5797–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Tosoh-Finechem Co., Ltd. for donating MMAO. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the Shared Facility Center for Science and Technology, Hirosaki University, for NMR measurements.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shun Ohta.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ohta, S., Itoh, K., Toda, T. et al. Ethylene and propylene polymerization by bis(indolyl)-coordinated titanium dichlorido complexes activated by modified methylaluminoxane. Polym J 54, 223–227 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-021-00575-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-021-00575-y

Search

Quick links