Bridged bi-aromatic ligands, catalysts, processes for polymerizing and polymers therefrom

1. A catalyst comprising:

a metal complex having two seven-member metallocycles, wherein each metallocycle includes four atoms from a bis-aromatic moiety and is formed with bonds from the metal atom to at least 2 heteroatoms, and wherein said two seven-member metallocycles are joined together by at least one bridging group and wherein the metal in said metal complex is selected from the group consisting of groups 3-6 and Lanthanide elements of the Periodic Table of Elements; and

one or more activators.

2. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein said two, bridged seven-member metallocycles are compositionally identical.

3. The catalyst of claim 2 , wherein each of said metallocycles includes four atoms from a bis-aryl moiety.

4. A catalyst, comprising:

a metal complex characterized by the general formula:

(4,2,O,S)ML n′

where (4,2,O,S) is a dianionic ligand having at least 4 atoms that are oxygen or sulfur and chelating to the metal M at at least 2 coordination sites through covalent bonds from either oxygen or sulfur atoms to M; M is a metal selected from the group consisting of groups 3-6 and Lanthanide elements of the Periodic Table of Elements; each L is the same or different from the others and in each case is a moiety bonded to the metal M with a covalent, dative or ionic bond; and n′ is 1,2,3, or 4; and

one or more activators.

5. The catalyst of claim 4 , wherein each L is independently selected from the group consisting of halide, alkyl, substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, substituted heteroalkyl heterocycloalkyl, substituted heterocycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, boryl, silyl, amino, amine, hydrido, allyl, diene, phosphino, phosphine, carboxylates, alkylthio, arylthio, thioxy, 1,3-dionates, oxalates, carbonates, nitrates, sulphates, and combinations thereof.

6. The catalyst of claim 4 , wherein at least one L is an anion.

7. A catalyst, comprising:

a metal complex characterized by either of the general formulas:

wherein at least two of the bonds to M are covalent, with the other bonds being dative; and each AR is an aromatic group that can be the same or different from the other AR groups with each AR being independently selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted aryl or heteroaryl; B is a bridging group having from one to 50 atoms not counting hydrogen atoms; X and X′ are the same or different and are independently selected from the group consisting of oxygen, sulfur, —NR 30 —, —PR 30 —, where R 30 is selected from the group consisting of hydride, halide, and optionally substituted hydrocarbyl, heteroatom-containing hydrocarbyl, silyl, boryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, and combinations thereof; when the bond to M is covalent Y 2 and Y 3 and X 4 and X 5 are the same or different and are independently selected from the group consisting of oxygen, sulfur, —NR 30 —, and —PR 30 —, where R 30 is defined above; when the bond to M is dative Y 2 and Y 3 and X 4 and X 5 are the same or different and are independently selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted amino, phosphino, hydroxy, alkoxy, aryloxy, thioxy, alkylthio and arylthio; 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.

8. The catalyst of claim 7 , wherein the complex is characterized by the general formula:

wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , 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.

9. The catalyst of claim 8 , wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , 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 alkyl, heteroalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, alkoxyl, aryloxyl, silyl, boryl, phosphino, amino, alkylthio, arylthio, thioxy, seleno, nitro, and combinations thereof.

10. The catalyst of claim 9 , wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , 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 alkyl, heteroalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, alkoxyl, aryloxyl, silyl, amino, alkylthio, arylthio and thioxy.

11. The catalyst of claim 8 , wherein the complex is characterized by the general formula:

wherein R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , R 15 , R 16 , R 17 , R 18 , and R 19 are as defined above, B is as defined above, X and X′ are as defined above, and Y 2 and Y 3 are as defined above; and M, L and n′ are as defined above.

12. The catalyst of claim 11 , wherein the complex is characterized by the formula:

wherein each of R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 and R 9 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydride, halide, and optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, heteroalkyl, heteroalkenyl, heteroalkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, alkoxyl, aryloxyl, silyl, boryl, phosphino, amino, alkylthio, arylthio, thioxy, seleno, nitro, and combinations thereof, and M, Y 2 , L and n′ are as defined above.

13. The catalyst of any of claims 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , additionally comprising a group 13 reagent.

14. The catalyst of any of claims 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , wherein the activator is an ionic activator.

15. The catalyst of any of claims 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , or 12 wherein at least one of R 2 and R 12 is not hydrogen.

16. The catalyst of claim 15 , wherein R 2 and R 12 are independently selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted aryl and heteroaryl.

17. The catalyst of any of claims 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , or 12 , wherein the bridging group B is selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted divalent hydrocarbyl and divalent heteroatom containing hydrocarbyl.

18. The catalyst of claim 17 , wherein B is selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted divalent alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, heteroalkyl, heteroalkenyl, heteroalkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl and silyl.

19. The catalyst of claim 17 , wherein B is represented by the general formula —(Q″R 40 2-z″ ) z — wherein each Q″ is either carbon or silicon and each R 40 may be the same or different from the others such that each R 40 is selected from the group consisting of hydride and optionally substituted hydrocarbyl, and optionally two or more R 40 groups may be joined into a ring structure having from 3 to 50 atoms in the ring structure not counting hydrogen atoms; z′ is an integer from 1 to 10; and z″ is 0, 1 or 2.

20. The catalyst of any of claims 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , or 12 wherein each L is independently selected from the group consisting of halide, alkyl, substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, substituted heteroalkyl heterocycloalkyl, substituted heterocycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, boryl, silyl, amino, amine, hydride, allyl, diene, phosphino, phosphine, carboxylates, alkylthio, arylthio, thioxy, 1,3-dionates, oxalates, carbonates, nitrates, sulphates, and combinations thereof.

21. The catalyst of any of claims 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , or 12 , wherein at least one L is an anion.

22. The catalyst of any of claims 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 or 12 , wherein M is selected from the group consisting of Hf, Zr and Ti.