Patent ID: 7241714

Claim:
A catalyst, comprising: a metal complex characterized by either of the general formulas: wherein at least two of the bonds to M are covalent, when the bond to M is covalent Y 2 and Y 3 and X and X′ are the same or different and independently selected from the group consisting of oxygen, sulfur, —NR 30 —, and —PR 30 —, where R 30 is selected from the group consisting of hydride, halide, and optionally substituted hydrocarbyl, heteroatom-containing hydrocarbyl, silyl, boryl, alkoxy, and aryloxy; when the bond to M is dative Y 2 and Y 3 and X and X′ are the same or different and independently selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted amino, phosphino, hydroxy, alkoxy, aryloxy, thioxy, alkylthio and arylthio; each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 15 , R 16 , R 17 , R 18 , R 19 and R 20 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydride, halide, and optionally substituted hydrocarbyl, heteroatom-containing hydrocarbyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, silyl, boryl, phosphino, amino, alkylthio, arylthio, thioxy, seleno, nitro, and combinations thereof; optionally two or more R groups can combine together into ring structures, with such ring structures having from 3 to 100 atoms in the ring not counting hydrogen atoms; each of R 4 and R 14 is independently selected from the group consisting of halide, and optionally substituted alkoxy, aryloxy, phosphino, amino, alkylthio, arylthio, and thioxy; B is a bridging group having from one to 50 atoms not counting hydrogen atoms; M is a metal selected from groups 3–6 and Lanthanide elements of the Periodic Table of Elements, each L is a moiety that forms a covalent, dative or ionic bond with M; and n′ is 1, 2, 3 or 4; and one or more activators.