Patent ID: 7060768

Claim:
A process for the polymerization of olefins, comprising the step of contacting, under polymerizing conditions, one or more polymerizable olefins with an active polymerization catalyst comprising a group 3 through 11 (IUPAC) transition metal or lanthanide metal complex of a ligand of the formula (I) wherein: Z is nitrogen and Q is phosphorus, or Z is oxygen and Q is phosphorus, or Z is oxygen and Q is nitrogen; provided that: when Q is phosphorous and Z is nitrogen: R 1 and R 2 are each independently hydrocarbyl, silyl, or substituted hydrocarbyl having an E s of about −0.90 or less; R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , and R 6 are each independently hydrogen, hydrocarbyl, a functional group, or substituted hydrocarbyl; R 7 is hydrogen, hydrocarbyl, substituted hydrocarbyl or silyl; and R 8 is hydrocarbyl, substituted hydrocarbyl, or silyl; provided that any two of R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 and R 8 vicinal or geminal to one another together may form a ring; when Q is phosphorous and Z is oxygen: R 1 and R 2 are each independently hydrocarbyl, silyl, or substituted hydrocarbyl having an E s of about −0.90 or less; R 3 and R 4 are each independently hydrogen, hydrocarbyl, a functional group, or substituted hydrocarbyl; R 5 and R 7 taken together form a double bond; R 8 is not present; and R 6 is —OR 9 , —NR 10 R 11 , hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl, wherein R 9 is hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl, and R 10 and R 11 are each independently hydrogen, hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl; and provided that any two of R 3 , R 4 , and R 6 vicinal or geminal to one another may form a ring; or R 1 and R 2 are each independently hydrocarbyl, silyl, or substituted hydrocarbyl having an E s of about −0.90 or less; R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are each independently hydrogen, hydrocarbyl, a functional group, or substituted hydrocarbyl; R 7 is hydrocarbyl, silyl, or substituted hydrocarbyl; and R 8 is not present; and provided that any two of R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , and R 7 vicinal or geminal to one another may form a ring; when Q is nitrogen: R 1 is hydrocarbyl, silyl, or substituted hydrocarbyl having an E s of about −0.90 or less; R 2 and R 3 are each independently hydrogen, hydrocarbyl, a functional group, or substituted hydrocarbyl, or taken together form a double bond; R 4 is hydrogen, hydrocarbyl, a functional group, or substituted hydrocarbyl; Z is oxygen; R 6 and R 7 taken together form a double bond; R 8 is not present; R 5 is —OR 12 , —R 13 or —NR 14 R 15 , wherein R 12 and R 13 are each independently hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl, and R 14 and R 15 are each hydrogen, hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl; provided that when R 2 and R 3 taken together form an aromatic ring, R 1 and R 4 are not present; and further provided that any two of R 2 , R 3 , R 4 and R 5 vicinal or germinal to one another taken together may form a ring.