Patent EP-1043066-A1 (EP)
Inventor: DUBOIS PHILIPPE G
IPC: B01J31/18
Filed: 1999-04-09
Abstract: Homogeneous or heterogeneous catalytic composition is obtained by reacting one mole of organo-metallic compound (I) with at least three moles of organic compound (II) with labile hydrogen, Homogeneous or heterogeneous catalytic composition is obtained by reacting one mole of organo-metallic compound of formula with at least three moles of organic compound with labile hydrogen of formula (II). Reaction between (I) and (II) can be conduct in absence of solvent or in presence of anhydrous non-protic solvent. Active substances of catalytic composition are fixed, in dehydrated form, on porous or non-porous mineral support, preferably porous silica whose pore volume consists mainly of pores of diameter larger than 5 nm and specific surface is 100-750 (preferably 200-500) m<2>/g. R = 1-10C alkyl (preferably methyl) radical; M = metal, in trivalent state, selected from yttrium and rare earth metals of atomic numbers 57-71, including lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, thulium, ytterbium and luteti (preferably yttrium or lanthanum, neodymium, samarium or ytterbium. n = 0 or 1-10; m = 0 or 1-3; m + n = 0 or 1-13; R' = 1-100 (preferably 1-50)C totally hydrocarbon radical selected from alkyl, aryl, alkaryl or aralkyl radical (when n and are equal 0); partially hydrocarbon organic radical with at least one bivalent functional group Z' (when m is 0 and n is 1-10), tota or partially hydrocarbon radical with at least one monovalent (protic or non-protic) functional group X' (when n is 0 and m is 1 partially hydrocarbon radical with at least one X' and at least one Z' group (when m + n is 13); or 1-20C radical (when m and n not 0); Y' = -O-, -COO- (preferred) or -S-; Z' = bivalent functional group selected from secondary or tertiary amines, esters, ethers, thioesters, thioethers and silyl groups; X' = monovalent non-protic group selected from Br, Cl, I, tertiary amines, nitrile or silyl groups, unsaturated groups of allylic, methacrylic, or styrenic type, ethers and imides or protic group selected from alcohol, primary and secondary amines an thiol groups. Independent claims are also included for: (1) process of production of catalytic composition as claimed, comprising a) forming solution of (I) in anhydrous non-proti polar or non-polar solvent, b) adding at least one compound (II) or its solution in anhydrous inert liquid, under conditions of exchange of groups -Y-R'(Z)n-Xm of (II) with groups -N(SiR3)2 of (I) and formation of compound HN(SiR3)2, at molar ratio of greater than 0 and below 3 (preferably 1-2), to give solution containing Xm-(Z)nR'-Y-)q -M-(N(SiR3)2)3-q (Ia) and q moles of HN(SiR3)2; c) applying obtained solution onto dehydrated mineral support as described above or onto its suspension in solvent identical or totally miscible with solvent using at stage (a), causing reaction of at least part of metallic hydroxyl groups of support with ligands -S(SiR3)2 of (Ia) in such way as to form bonds Si-O-M and liberate amide molecules HN(SiR3)2; d) eliminating eventual excess of (Ia) and HN(SiR3)2 by washing with inert non-protic anhydrous solvent; e) adding. optionally, to the suspension obtained at stage (d), organic compound (II), in excess relative to number of Si-O-M groups formed at stage (c), under conditions ensuring that none of M metal fixed to support by Si-O-M type bond bearing -N(SiR3)2 group; (f) separating, if necessary, liquid phase obtained at stage (e); and g) recovering solid material formed at stage (e), or, in case when optionally stage (f) was not conducted, the mixture of solid material, excess of compound (II) and solvent used at stage (e), and compound HN(SiR3)2; and (2) the use of homogeneous or heterogeneous catalytic compositions as claimed in polymerization or copolymerization, by ope the cycles, of heterocyclic oxygen-containing compounds, including one or more heteroatoms, especially lactones, lactides and oxiranes.