Patent ID: 8557933

Claim:
A method for forming an olefin oligomer using a pyridylamine-containing catalytic composition, comprising the steps of: (a) synthesizing, and optionally purifying, a functionalized pyridyl-amine product by: (i) providing a di-substituted pyridine reactant having the following formula: where X b , X c , and X d are each independently selected from hydrogen and optionally substituted linear, branched, cyclic, heterocyclic, and/or aromatic hydrocarbyl, where at least one of X a and X e is a halide, where X a and X e can be the same or different, and where, when one of X a and X e is not a halide, the one of X a and X e that is not a halide is an optionally substituted aryl moiety; (ii) selectively activating one of the X a and X e halide moieties on the di-substituted pyridine under conditions sufficient to form an activated and substituted pyridine intermediate; and (iii) reacting the activated and substituted pyridine intermediate with one or more other reactants, said one or more other reactants including an imine and/or an iminium compound having the following formulas: under conditions sufficient to form the functionalized pyridyl-amine product in a single reaction step; (b) forming a metal-ligand precursor by contacting the pyridyl-amine product with a metal precursor compound, and optionally also with an activator; (c) contacting an olefin feed with said metal-ligand precursor under reaction conditions sufficient to produce an effluent comprising a trimerized and/or tetramerized olefin product; and (d) optionally isolating and/or purifying the trimerized and/or tetramerized olefin product.