Expanded anionic compounds comprising hydroxyl or quiescent reactive functionality and catalyst activators therefrom

Abstract

A cocatalyst or cocatalyst component, including a compound corresponding to the formula: (A* +a ) b (Z*J* j ) −c d , wherein: A* is a cation of from 1 to 80 atoms, not counting hydrogen atoms, Z* is an anion group of from 1 to 50 atoms, not counting hydrogen atoms, containing two or more Lewis base sites; J* is a Lewis acid of from 1 to 80, not counting hydrogen atoms, coordinated to at least one Lewis base site, and optionally two or more such J* groups may be joined together in a moiety having multiple Lewis acidic functionality, j is from 2 to 12 and a, b, c, and d are integers from 1 to 3, with the proviso that a×b is equal to c×d, and provided further that one or more of A*, Z* or J* comprises a hydroxyl group or a polar group containing quiescent reactive functionality.

In the claims:  
     
         16 . (New) A cocatalyst or cocatalyst component, comprising a compound corresponding to the formula: (A* +a ) b (Z*J* j ) −c   d , wherein: 
 A* is a cation of from 1 to 80 atoms, not counting hydrogen atoms, said A* having a charge +a,    Z* is an anion group of from 1 to 50 atoms, not counting hydrogen atoms, further containing two or more Lewis base sites;    J* independently each occurrence is a Lewis acid of from 1 to 80 atoms, not counting hydrogen atoms, coordinated to at least one Lewis base site of Z*, and optionally two or more such J* groups may be joined together in a moiety having multiple Lewis acidic functionality,    j is a nubmer from 2 to 12 and    a, b, c, and d are integers from 1 to 3, with the proviso that a×b is equal to c×d, and provided further that one or more of A*, Z* or J* comprises a hydroxyl group or a polar group containing quiescent reactive functionality.    
     
     
         17 . (New) The cocatalyst or cocatalyst component according to  claim 16  wherein A* +a  is selected from the group consisting of ammonium, sulfonium, phosphonium, oxonium, carbonium, silylium, ferrocenium, Ag + , and Pb +2  cations.  
     
     
         18 . (New) The cocatalyst or cocatalyst component according to  claim 16  wherein Z* is selected from the group consisting of trialkylsiloxy-, trialkylsiloxyalkyl-, trialkylsiloxyaryl-, and dialkylaluminoxyaryl-substituted derivatives of 4,5-benzylimidazolide, 2-(C 1-30 hydrocarbyl)-4,5-benzimidazolide, 1,3,4-triazolide, 2-(C 1-30 hydrocarbyl)-1,3,4-triazolide, 1,2,3-triazolide, 4,5-benz-1,2,3-triazolide, imidazolinide, 2-(C 1-30 hydrocarbyl)imidazolinide, 4,5-dihaloimidazolinide, and 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazolide.  
     
     
         19 . (New) The cocatalyst or cocatalyst component according to  claim 16  which is an ammonium, phosphonium, sulfonium, oxonium, carbonium, silylium, lead (II), silver or ferrocenium salt of hydroxylphenyl-, trimethylsiloxyphenyl-, and dialkylaluminoxyphenyl-substituted derivatives of: bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane)imidazolinide, bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)-borane)-2-undecylimidazolinide, bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane)-4,5-benzimidazolide, bis(tris(penta-fluorophenyl)borane)1,3,4-triazolide, bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane)-2-undecyl-1,3,4-triazolide, bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)alumane)-imidazolinide, bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)alumane)-2-undecylimidazolinide, bis(tris-(pentafluorophenyl)alumane)-4,5-benzimidazolide, bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)alumane)-1,3,4-triazolide, or bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)alumane)-2-undecyl-1,3,4-triazolide.  
     
     
         20 . (New) A salt compound according to  claim 16  wherein the cation is a trimethylammonium-, triethylammonium-, tripropylammonium-, tri(n-butyl)ammonium-, methyldi(octadecyl)ammonium-, methyldi(tetradecyl)ammonium-, methyl(tetradecyl)(octadecyl)ammonium-, N,N-dimethylanilinium-, N,N-diethylanilinium-, N,N-dimethyl(2,4,6-trimethylanilinium)-, N,N-di(tetradecyl)lanilinium-, N,N-di(tetradecyl)-2,4,6-trimethylanilinium)-, N,N-di(octadecyl)lanilinium-, N,N-di(octadecyl)-2,4,6-trimethylanilinium)-, or methyldicyclohexylammonium-cation.  
     
     
         21 . (New) A The cocatalyst or cocatalyst component according to  claim 16  corresponding to the formula:  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein: 
 A*+is a monovalent cation as previously defined in  claim 16 ,  
 R 4 , independently each occurrence, is hydrogen or a hydroxyhydrocarbyl, halo, hydrocarbyl, halocarbyl, halohydrocarbyl, silylhydrocarbyl, or silyl group, (including mono-, di- and tri(hydrocarbyl)silyl) group of up to 30 atoms not counting hydrogen, preferably C 1-20  alkyl group, or a quiescent reactive group, with the proviso that at least one R 4  group contains a hydroxyhydrocarbyl group or a quiescent reactive group, and  
 J*′ is tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane or tris(pentafluorophenyl)alumane).  
 
     
     
         22 . (New) The cocatalyst or cocatalyst component according to  claim 16  comprising trihydrocarbylammonium-salt of: 
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane)-2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)imidazolinide,  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane)-2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-1,3,4-triazolide,  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane)-2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-4,5-benzimidazolide;  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane)-2-(p-trimethylsiloxyphenyl)imidazolinide,  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane)-2-(p-trimethylsiloxyphenyl)-1,3,4-triazolide,  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane)-2-(p-trimethylsiloxyphenyl)-4,5-benzimidazolide;  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane)-2-(p-diethylaluminoxyphenyl)imidazolinide,  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane)-2-(p-diethylaluminoxyphenyl)-1,3,4-triazolide,  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane)-2-(p-diethylaluminoxyphenyl)-4,5-benzimidazolide;  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)alumane)-2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)imidazolinide,  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)alumane)-2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-1,3,4-triazolide,  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)alumane)-2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-4,5-benziimidazolide;  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)alumane)-2-(p-trimethylsiloxyphenyl)imidazolinide,  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)alumane)-2-(p-trimethylsiloxyphenyl)-1,3,4-triazolide,  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)alumane)-2-(p-trimethylsiloxyphenyl)-4,5-benzimidazolide,  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)alumane)-2-(p-diethylaluminoxyphenyl)imidazolinide,  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)alumane)-2-(p-diethylaluminoxyphenyl)-1,3,4-triazolide, or  
 bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)alumane)-2-(p-diethylaluminoxyphenyl)-4,5-benzimidazolide.  
 
     
     
         23 . (New) A catalyst composition for polymerization of addition polymerizable monomers comprising, in combination, 1) a Group 3-10 or Lanthanide metal complex, preferably a Group 4 metal complex, 2) a cocatalyst or cocatalyst component according to  claim 16 , or the reaction product of 1 and 2), and optionally 3) a solid, particulated support.  
     
     
         24 . (New) A catalyst composition for polymerization of α-olefins comprising, in combination, 1) a Group 3-10 or Lanthanide metal complex, preferably a Group 4 metal complex and 2) a cocatalyst or cocatalyst component according to  claim 16 .  
     
     
         25 . (New) A catalyst component for use in formation of heterogeneous catalyst compositions, comprising, in combination, a cocatalyst or cocatalyst component according to  claim 16  and a solid, particulated support.  
     
     
         26 . (New) The cocatalyst or cocatalyst component of  claim 25  wherein the support is silica.  
     
     
         27 . (New) The cocatalyst or cocatalyst component of  claim 26  wherein the silica is dried and reacted with a trialkylaluminum compound to remove reactive functionality thereon before contacting with the metal complex or compound.  
     
     
         28 . (New) A polymerization process comprising contacting one or more α-olefins under polymerization conditions with a catalyst composition the catalyst or cocatalyst component according to  claim 23 .  
     
     
         29 . (New) The polymerization process according to  claim 28  that is a slurry polymerization.  
     
     
         30 . (New) A polymerization process according to  claim 28  that is a gas phase polymerization.  
     
     
         31 . (New) The cocatalyst or cocatalyst component as recited in  claim 16 , wherein A* is a cation of from 1 to 60 atoms, not counting hydrogen atoms.  
     
     
         32 . (New) The cocatalyst or cocatalyst component as recited in  claim 16 , wherein Z* is an anion group of from 1 to 30 atoms, not counting hydrogen atoms.  
     
     
         33 . (New) The cocatalyst or cocatalyst component as recited in  claim 16 , wherein J* independently each occurrence is a Lewis acid of from 1 to 60 atoms, not counting hydrogen atoms.