Olefin Polymerization
Group 4 metallocene complexes have attracted considerable
interest due to their ability to function as highly active Ziegler-Natta
type catalysts for the polymerization of olefins. Our studies have
focused on zwitterionic catalysts prepared from group 4 metallocene diene
complexes by the electrophilic addition of Lewis acids such as B(C6F5)3
or Al(C6F5)3. The resulting compounds
are of considerable interest, not only as catalysts for olefin polymerization,
but also for the rich variety of interesting structures, bonding, and reactivities
that they display. Here are a couple of examples:
Molecular structure of (η5-C5Me4SiMe2N-t-Bu)Ti(η3-(CH2)(CH)C(CH3)CH2Al(C6F5)3).