Alison T Bennett

US Patent:

20030171508, Sep 11, 2003

Filed:

Jun 22, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/887273

Inventors:

Maurice Brookhart - Chapel Hill NC, US
Lynda Johnson - Wilmington DE, US
Christopher Killian - Gray TN, US
Samuel Arthur - Wilmington DE, US
Jerald Feldman - Hockessin DE, US
Elizabeth McCord - Hockessin DE, US
Stephan McLain - Wilmington DE, US
Kristina Kreutzer - Wilmington DE, US
Alison Bennett - Wilmington DE, US
Edward Coughlin - Wilmington DE, US
Steven Ittel - Wilmington DE, US
Anju Parthasarathy - Glenmoore PA, US
Daniel Tempel - Carrboro NC, US

International Classification:

C08F004/06

US Classification:

526/090000, 526/348000, 526/351000, 526/352000

Abstract:

Disclosed herein are processes for polymerizing ethylene, acyclic olefins, and/or selected cyclic olefins, and optionally selected olefinic esters or carboxylic acids, and other monomers. The polymerizations are catalyzed by selected transition metal compounds, and sometimes other co-catalysts. Since some of the polymerizations exhibit some characteristics of living polymerizations, block copolymers can be readily made. Many of the polymers produced are often novel, particularly in regard to their microstructure, which gives some of them unusual properties. Numerous novel catalysts are disclosed, as well as some novel processes for making them. The polymers made are useful as elastomers, molding resins, in adhesives, etc. Also described herein is the synthesis of linear -olefins by the oligomerization of ethylene using as a catalyst system a combination a nickel compound having a selected -diimine ligand and a selected Lewis or Bronsted acid, or by contacting selected -diimine nickel complexes with ethylene.