Patent ID: 7037990

Claim:
A method for preparing a polyolefin substituted with pendant functional groups, comprising contacting, under polymerization conditions, (a) a functionalized olefinic monomer composed of an olefin directly or indirectly substituted on an olefinic carbon atom with a polar, electron-donating functional group, with (b) a catalytically effective amount of a transition metal complex having the structure of formula (I) and (c) an activator that converts the transition metal complex, to an ionic or zwitterionic catalyst which facilitates stepwise polymer synthesis by successive insertion reactions of olefinic monomers, the ionic or zwitterionic catalyst having the structure of formula (Ia) wherein: M 1 is a transition metal selected from Pd(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), V(IV), Zr(IV), Hf(IV), Ti(IV), Ru(II), Rh(II), Os(II), Ir(II), or Pt(II); x and y are integers in the range of zero to w, and the sum of x and y is w; X 1 and X 2 are heteroatoms coordinated to M 1 ; R 1 is arylene, substituted arylene, heteroarylene, or substituted heteroarylene; S* is a Lewis acid stabilizing group that forms a noncovalent bond with the functional group and thereby maintains the functionalized olefinic monomer in a single stereochemical configuration relative to the ionic or zwitterionic catalyst throughout each of said successive reactions, thereby preventing rearrangement of the functionalized olefin relative to the catalyst during each successive reaction; R 2 is aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, or —R 1 —S*; Q is a hydrocarbylene, substituted hydrocarbylene, heteroatom-containing hydrocarbylene, or substituted heteroatom-containing hydrocarbylene linker, and further wherein two or more substituents on adjacent atoms within Q may be linked to form a cyclic group; and Q 1 and Q 2 are univalent radicals, and further wherein, in the structure of formula (Ia), either R 2 bears a negative charge or the complex is cationic and ionically associated with a negatively charged counterion.