In the solid-state structure of the Schiff base salen [salen ) N, N′-ethylenebis(salicylideneiminato)] zirconium dichloride complex Zr(salen)Cl2(THF), C20H22Cl2N2O3Zr, a quadridentate ligand, occupies four sites in the pseudopentagonal bipyramidal coordination. The coordination sphere is completed by one THF molecule, and two chloride ions are forced into the trans-position. Removal of THF, while Zr(salen)Cl2(THF) is heated in toluene, leads to a six-coordinated complex with the two chloride ligands assuming the cis-position. This property was successfully utilized in the preparation of a homogeneous Zr(salen)Cl2 catalyst precursor. Heating of Zr(salen)Cl2(THF) in toluene in the presence of SiO2 causes deposition of Zr(salen)Cl2 on to the silica support, producing a heterogeneous catalyst, which shows an acceptable activity in ethylene polymerization at 80 °C and at low ethylene pressures in the presence of the cocatalyst methylaluminoxane.

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Copolymerizations of ethylene with 10‐undecen‐1‐ol, 10‐undecenyl methyl ether, 10‐undecenyl trimethyl silyl ether, and 1‐undecene were performed with rac‐ethylene‐bis(1‐indenyl)zirconium dichloride as a catalyst and methylaluminoxane as a cocatalyst. All three oxygen‐functional comonomers copolymerized with ethylene, although the activity of the catalyst decreased considerably compared with the homopolymerization of ethylene. The conversions of the comonomers varied from 17 to 40%, depending on the amount of comonomer in the feed. Under the same conditions, the conversion of 1‐undecene was 50–75%. The incorporation (0.7–3.6 mol %, depending on the feed) and the effect on the activity of the catalyst were on the same level for all the functional comonomers, which indicates that trimethylsilyl or methyl groups do not act as effective protecting groups for oxygen atoms. According to NMR and Fourier transform infrared analyses, the final functional group in the copolymers of the trimethylsilyl ether comonomer was hydroxyl. In contrast, the methyl ether group remained untouched in the copolymer, which suggests that the formation of aluminum alkoxides via a reaction with a cocatalyst is not a prerequisite for comonomer incorporation. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1966–1971, 2000

The use of two kinds of tantalum(V) aminopyridinato complexes, bis(2-benzylaminopyridinato)trichlorotantalum(V) and trichlorobis[2,6-di(phenylamino)pyridinato-N,N']-tantalum(\.'), activated by methylaluminoxane was studied in polymerization of ethylene. The activities of these homogeneous catalyst systems are comparable to those of metallocenes. The weight-average molecular weights (M,) of the produced polyethylenes are between 60000 and 200000 and Mw/M,, = 2.