Process for the preparation of hydrogenated nitrile rubber

1. A process for the production of a hydrogenated nitrile rubber, the process comprising simultaneously hydrogenating and metathesizing nitrite rubber in the presence of hydrogen, at least one catalyst, and optionally at least one co-olefin, wherein each at least one catalyst is capable of catalyzing both the hydrogenating and metathesizing, and catalyzes the hydrogenating and metathesizing of the nitrite rubber, and each at least one catalyst is selected from the group consisting of compounds of general formulae (I), (II) or (Ill),

where

M is ruthenium or osmium,

X 1 and X 2 are identical or different anionic ligands,

Z 1 and Z 2 are identical or different neutral electron donor ligands,

R 3 and R 4 are each independently hydrogen or a substituent selected from the group consisting of alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, carboxylate, alkoxy, alkenyloxy, alkynyloxy, aryloxy, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylamino, alkylthio, arylthio, alkylsulphonyl and alkylsulphinyl radical, each of which may optionally be substituted by one or more alkyl, halogen, alkoxy, aryl or heteroaryl radicals, and

L is a ligand.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein in the at least one catalyst of the general formulae (I), (II) or (III), Z 1 and Z 2 are identical or different and represent optionally substituted heterocyclic groups, optionally substituted by one or more alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxy, halogen, aryl, or heteroaryl, where these abovementioned substituents may in turn be substituted by one or more radicals.

3. The process according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein in the at least one catalyst of the general formulae (I), (II) or (III), the ligand L is a phosphine, a sulphonated phosphine, phosphate, phosphinite, phosphorite, arsine, stibine, ether, amine, amide, sulphoxide, carboxyl, nitrosyl, pyridine, thioether or L is a substituted or unsubstituted imidazolidine (“Im”) ligand, each of which may be substituted by a phenyl group which may in turn be substituted by a halogen, C 1 -C 5 alkyl radical or C 1 -C 5 -alkoxy radical, or L is a substituted or unsubstituted imidazolidine (“Im”) ligand.

4. The process according to claim 3 , wherein in the at least one catalyst of the general formulae (I), (II) or (III), L is selected from the group consisting of PPh 3 , P(p-Tol) 3 , P(o-Tol) 3 , PPh(CH 3 ) 2 , P(CF 3 ) 3 , P(p-FC 6 H 4 ) 3 , P(p-CF 3 C 6 H 4 ) 3 , P(C 6 H 4 SO 3 Na) 3 , P(CH 2 C 5 H 4 —SO 3 Na) 3 , P(iso-Pr) 3 , P(CHCH 3 (CH 2 CH 3 )) 3 , P(cyclopentyl) 3 , P(cyclohexyl) 3 , P(neopentyl) 3 and P(neophenyl) 3 .

5. The process according to claim 3 , wherein the imidazolidine radical (Im) has a structure of the general formula (IVa) or (IVb),

where

R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 are identical or different and are each hydrogen, straight-chain or branched C 1 -C 30 -alkyl, C 3 -C 20 -cycloalkyl, C 2 -C 20 -alkenyl, C 2 -C 20 -alkynyl, C 6 -C 24 -aryl, C 1 -C 20 -carboxylate, C 1 -C 20 -alkoxy, C 2 -C 20 -alkenyloxy, C 2 -C 20 -alkynyloxy, C 6 -C 24 -aryloxy, C 2 -C 20 -alkoxycarbonyl, C 1 -C 20 -alkylthio, C 6 -C 24 -arylthio, C 1 -C 20 -alkylsulphonyl, C 1 -C 20 -alkylsulphonate, C 6 -C 24 -arylsulphonate, or C 1 -C 20 -alkylsulphinyl.

6. The process according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein in the at least one catalyst of the general formulae (I), (II) or (Ill), R 3 and R 4 are identical or different and are each hydrogen or an alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, carboxylate, alkoxy, alkenyloxy, alkynyloxy, aryloxy, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylamino, alkylthio, arylthio, alkylsulphonyl, or alkylsulphinyl, each of which may optionally be substituted by one or more alkyl, halogen, alkoxy, aryl or heteroaryl radicals.

7. The process according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein at least one catalyst of the general formulae (I), (II) or (Ill), X 1 and X 2 are identical or different and represent hydrogen, halogen, pseudohalogen, straight-chain or branched C 1 -C 30 -alkyl, C 6 -C 24 -aryl, C 1 -C 20 -alkoxy, C 6 -C 24 -aryloxy, C 3 -C 20 -alkyldiketonate, C 6 -C 24 -aryldiketonate, C 1 -C 20 -carboxylate, C 1 -C 20 -alkylsulphonate, C 6 -C 24 -arylsulphonate, C 1 -C 20 -alkylthiol, C 6 -C 24 -arylthiol, C 1 -C 20 -alkylsulphonyl.

8. The process according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein in at least one catalyst of the general formulae (I), (II) or (Ill),

M is ruthenium,

X 1 and X 2 are both halogen,

Z 1 and Z 2 are identical or different and represent five- or six-membered monocyclic groups containing 1 to 4 heteroatoms, or bicyclic or polycyclic structures composed of 2, 3, 4 or 5 such five- or six-membered monocyclic groups wherein all aforementioned groups are optionally substituted by one or more alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxy, halogen, aryl, or heteroaryl, or Z 1 and Z 2 together represent a bidentate ligand, thereby forming a cyclic structure,

R 3 and R 4 are identical or different and are each hydrogen, C 1 -C 30 -alkyl C 3 -C 20 -cycloalkyl, C 2 -C 20 -alkenyl, C 2 -C 20 -alkynyl, C 6 -C 24 -aryl, C 1 -C 20 -carboxylate, C 1 -C 20 -alkoxy, C 2 -C 20 -alkenyloxy, C 2 -C 20 -alkynyloxy, C 6 -C 24 -aryloxy, C 2 -C 20 -alkoxycarbonyl, C 1 -C 30 -alkylamino, C 1 -C 30 -alkylthio, C 6 -C 24 -arylthio, C 1 -C 20 -alkylsulphonyl, C 1 -C 20 -alkylsulphinyl, each of which may optionally be substituted by one or more alkyl, halogen, alkoxy, aryl or heteroaryl radicals, and

L has a structure of the general formula (IVa) or (IVb),

where

R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 are identical or different and are each hydrogen, straight-chain or branched C 1 -C 30 -alkyl, C 3 -C 20 -cycloalkyl, C 2 -C 20 -alkenyl, C 2 -C 20 -alkynyl, C 6 -C 24 -aryl, C 1 -C 20 -carboxylate, C 1 -C 20 -alkoxy, C 2 -C 20 -alkenyloxy, C 2 -C 20 -alkynyloxy, C 6 -C 24 -aryloxy, C 2 -C 20 -alkoxycarbonyl, C 1 -C 20 -alkylthio, C 6 -C 24 -arylthio, C 1 -C 20 -alkylsulphonyl, C 1 -C 20 -alkylsulphonate, C 6 -C 24 -arylsulphonate, or C 1 -C 20 -alkylsulphinyl.

9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein at least one catalyst of formula (I) is at least one catalyst of formula (VI),

where

R 9 and R 10 are identical or different and represent halogen, straight-chain or branched C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 20 heteroalkyl, C 1 -C 10 haloalkyl, C 1 -C 10 alkoxy, C 6 -C 24 aryl, formyl, nitro, nitrogen heterocycles, carboxy, alkylcarbonyl, halocarbonyl, carbamoyl, thiocarbomoyl, carbamido, thioformyl, amino, trialkylsilyl and trialkoxysilyl.

10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein at least one catalyst of formulae (I), (II) or (III) is at least one catalyst of formulae (VII), (VIII), (X), (X), (XI), (XII), (XIII), (XIV), (XV) or (XVI), where Mes is in each case a 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl radical

11. The process according to claim 1 or 2 , in which the amount of catalyst is from 5 to 1000 ppm of noble metal, based on the nitrile rubber used.

12. A process according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the process is carried out with at least one co-olefin.

13. A process according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the hydrogenation reaction is carried out in at least one suitable solvent which does not deactivate the catalyst used and also does not adversely affect the reaction in any other way.

14. A process for the production of a hydrogenated nitrile rubber, the process comprising simultaneously hydrogenating and metathesizing nitrile rubber in the presence of hydrogen, at least one catalyst, and optionally at least one co-olefin, wherein each catalyst is a catalyst of formula (VI),

where

R 9 and R 10 are identical or different and represent halogen, straight-chain or branched C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 20 heteroalkyl, C 1 -C 10 haloalkyl, C 1 -C 10 alkoxy, C 6 -C 24 aryl, formyl, nitro, nitrogen heterocycles, carboxy, alkylcarbonyl, halocarbonyl, carbamoyl, thiocarbomoyl, carbamido, thioformyl, amino, trialkylsilyl and trialkoxysilyl, and

wherein the catalyst is capable of catalyzing both the hydrogenating and metathesizing, and catalyzes the hydrogenating and metathesizing of the nitrite rubber.