Patent ID: 6486278
Filing Date: 2002-11-26
Classification: C08F,Y10S

Abstract:
A process for the preparation of ethylene copolymers comprising contacting under solution polymerization conditions, ethylene,one or more &agr;-olefin(s), one or more diene(s), and a catalyst composition prepared from (a) a cocatalyst, and (b) at least one bis(cyclopentadienyl) zirconium compound having the following structure: â€ƒwhere (i) the unsubstituted cyclopentadienyl ring is Cp1, (ii) the substituted cyclopentadienyl ring has at least two non-hydrogen radical substituents, R1, which are radicals independently selected from: hydrogen radical, unsubstituted hydrocarbyl, silyl or germyl radicals having from 1-20 carbon, silicon or germanium atoms, substituted hydrocarbyl, silyl or germyl radicals having from 1-20 carbon, silicon or germanium atoms, in which one or more hydrogen atoms is replaced by a halogen radical, an amido radical, a phosphido radical, an alkoxy radical, an aryloxy radical or any other radical containing a Lewis acidic or basic functionality, C1-C20-hydrocarbyl-substituted, Ge-, Sn-, or Pb-metalloid radicals, halogen radicals, amido radicals, phosphido radicals, alkoxy radicals, and alkylborido radicals; (iii) X is selected from C, Si, Ge, Sn or Pb; (iv) m=1, (v) Y is selected from hydrocarbyl radicals, hydrosilyl radicals, and hydrogermyl radicals; and (vi) R2 is selected from, unsubstituted C1-C20 hydrocarbyl, C1-C20 hydrocarbyl substituted with at least one Si, or C1-C20 hydrocarbyl substituted with at least one Ge; (vii) Q1 and Q2 and are non-cyclopentadienyl radicals in which, independently, each Q is selected from halide, hydride, unsubstituted C1-C20 hydrocarbyl, C1-C20 hydrocarbyl substituted with at least one R1 group as defined under (ii) above, alkoxide, aryloxide, amide, halide, or phosphide; or together, Q1 and Q2 may form an alkylidene, cyclometallated hydrocarbyl, or any other divalent anionic chelating ligand.