Molecular weight control of polyolefins using halogenated bis-phenylphenoxy catalysts

1. A process for preparing an olefin homopolymer or copolymer, comprising contacting ethylene, an alpha-olefin, or a combination thereof, and a catalytic amount of a metal-ligand complex catalyst of the formula (I):

where

M is titanium, zirconium, or hafnium and has a formal oxidation state of +2, +3, or +4;

n is 0, 1, or 2;

when n is 1, X is a monodentate ligand or a bidentate ligand;

when n is 2, each X is an independently chosen monodentate ligand;

the metal-ligand complex is overall charge-neutral;

each Z is independently chosen from —O—, —S—, —N(R N )—, or —P(R P )—;

L is (C 1 -C 40 )hydrocarbylene or (C 1 -C 40 )heterohydrocarbylene, provided such has a portion that comprises a 2- to 8-carbon atom linker backbone linking the Z moieties, each atom of such 2- to 8-atom linker being independently a carbon atom or a heteroatom, wherein each heteroatom independently is O, S, S(O), S(O) 2 , Si(R C ) 2 , Ge(R C ) 2 , P(R P ), or N(R N ), wherein independently each R C is unsubstituted (C 1 -C 18 )hydrocarbyl or the two R C are taken together to form a (C 2 -C 9 )alkylene, each R P is unsubstituted (C 1 -C 18 )hydrocarbyl; and each R N is unsubstituted (C 1 -C 18 )hydrocarbyl, or a hydrogen atom;

R 1a and R 1b are independently a halogen atom or a hydrogen atom, provided that at least one of R 1a and R 1b is a halogen atom;

R 2a , R 3a , R 4a , R 2b , R 3b , R 4b , R 6c , R 7c , R 8c , R 6d , R 7d , and R 8d independently is a hydrogen atom; (C 1 -C 40 )hydrocarbyl; (C 1 -C 40 )heterohydrocarbyl; Si(R C ) 3 , Ge(R C ) 3 , P(R P ) 2 , N(R N ) 2 , OR C , SR C , NO 2 , CN, F 3 C, F 3 CO, RCS(O)—, RCS(O) 2 —, (RC) 2 C═N—, RCC(O)O—, RCOC(O)—, RCC(O)N(R)—, (RC) 2 NC(O)—, or halogen atom;

and R 5c and R 5d independently is independently selected from: phenanthren-9-yl; 2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-6-yl; naphthalene-2-yl; 2,6-diethylphenyl; 2,6-diphenyl-phenyl; 3,5-dimethylphenyl; 3,5-bis(tri-fluoromethyl)phenyl; 3,5-bis(1-methylethyl)phenyl; 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl; and 2,4,6-tris(1-methylethyl)phenyl); 1-methyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-6-yl; 1,1-dimethyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-6-yl; 1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-naphthalen-5-yl; 1,1-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-5-yl; 3,6-di(tertiary-octyl)-carbazolyl; 3,6-di(tertiary-octyl)-carbazol-9-yl; 3,6-diphenylcarbazol-9-yl; 3,6-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)-carbazol-9-yl; quinolin-4-yl; quinolin-5-yl; quinolin-8-yl; 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolin-1-yl; isoquinolin-1-yl; isoquinolin-4-yl; isoquinolin-5-yl; isoquinolin-8-yl; 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolin-2-yl; 1H-indol-1-yl; 1H-indolin-1-yl; 1,2,3,4-tetrahydrocarbazolyl-9-yl; 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydrocarbazolyl-9-yl; 4,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)pyridine-2-yl; 4,6-diphenylpyridin-2-yl; 3-phenyl-1H-indol-1-yl; 3-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1H-indol-1-yl; 3,6-diphenyl-9H-carbazol-9-yl; 3,6-di(1-methylethyl)-9H-carbazol-9-yl; 3,6-dimethyl-9H-carbazol-9-yl; 3,6-diethyl-9H-carbazol-9-yl; 3,6-bis[2′,4′,6′-tris(1,1-dimethylphenyl)]-9H-carbazol-9-yl; 3,6-di(tertiary-butyl)-carbazol-9-yl, provided that when R 5c and R 5d are 3,6-di(tertiary-butyl)-carbazol-9-yl, R 1a or R 1b is —H;

under conditions such that an ethylene homopolymer, an alpha-olefin homopolymer, or an ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer is formed,

such having a weight average molecular weight that is reduced by at least 20 percent when compared with an otherwise identical ethylene homopolymer, alpha-olefin homopolymer or ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer prepared under identical conditions with a catalyst that is otherwise identical but wherein neither R 1a nor R 1b is a halogen atom.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein R 1a , R 1b , or both is independently a halogen atom chosen from fluorine, chlorine, or iodine.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the alpha-olefin is selected from the group consisting of (A) linear alpha-olefins having from 3 to 12 carbons, (B) branched alpha-olefins having from 5 to 16 carbons, and both (A) and (B).

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein R 2a , R 2b , R 3a , R 3b , R 4a , R 4b are hydrogen.

5. A process for preparing an olefin homopolymer or copolymer, comprising contacting ethylene, an alpha-olefin, or a combination thereof, and a catalytic amount of a metal-ligand complex catalyst of the formula (I):

where

M is titanium, zirconium, or hafnium and has a formal oxidation state of +2, +3, or +4;

n is 0, 1, or 2;

when n is 1, X is a monodentate ligand or a bidentate ligand;

when n is 2, each X is an independently chosen monodentate ligand;

the metal-ligand complex is overall charge-neutral;

each Z is independently chosen from —O—, —S—, —N(R N )—, or —P(R P )—;

L is (C 1 -C 40 )hydrocarbylene or (C 1 -C 40 )heterohydrocarbylene, provided such has a portion that comprises a 2- to 8-carbon atom linker backbone linking the Z moieties, each atom of such 2- to 8-atom linker being independently a carbon atom or a heteroatom, wherein each heteroatom independently is O, S, S(O), S(O) 2 , Si(R C ) 2 , Ge(R C ) 2 , P(R P ), or N(R N ), wherein independently each R C is unsubstituted (C 1 -C 18 )hydrocarbyl or the two R C are taken together to form a (C 2 -C 9 )alkylene, each R P is unsubstituted (C 1 -C 18 )hydrocarbyl; and each R N is unsubstituted (C 1 -C 18 )hydrocarbyl, a hydrogen atom;

one of R 1a and R 1b is halogen, and the other is methyl or hydrogen;

R 2a , R 3a , R 4a , R 2b , R 3b , R 4b , R 6c , R 7c , R 8c , R 6d , R 7d , and R 8d independently is a hydrogen atom; (C 1 -C 40 ) F 3 CO—, R 3 Si—, R 3 Ge—, RO—, RS—, RS(O)—, RS(O) 2 —, R 2 P—, R 2 N—, R 2 C═N—, NC—, RC(O)O—, ROC(O)—, RC(O)N(R)—, or R 2 NC(O)—, or two of the R S are taken together to form an unsubstituted (C 1 -C 18 )alkylene, wherein each R S independently is an unsubstituted (C 1 -C 18 )alkyl;

R 5c and R 5d are independently a (C 6 -C 40 )aryl or (C 1 -C 40 )heteroaryl; and each of the aryl, heteroaryl, hydrocarbyl, hydrocarbylene, and heterohydrocarbylene groups is independently unsubstituted or substituted with one or more substituents R S ; and each R S is independently a halogen atom, polyfluoro substitution, perfluoro substitution, unsubstituted (C 1 -C 18 )alkyl, F 3 C—, FCH 2 O—, F 2 HCO—,

under conditions such that an ethylene homopolymer, an alpha-olefin homopolymer, or an ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer is formed, such having a weight average molecular weight that is reduced by at least 20 percent when compared with an otherwise identical ethylene homopolymer, alpha-olefin homopolymer or ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer prepared under identical conditions with a catalyst that is otherwise identical but wherein neither R 1a nor R 1b is a halogen atom.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein R 1a or R 1b is a halogen atom chosen from fluorine, chlorine, or iodine.

7. The process of claim 5 wherein the alpha-olefin is selected from the group consisting of (A) linear alpha-olefins having from 3 to 12 carbons, (B) branched alpha-olefins having from 5 to 16 carbons, and both (A) and (B).

8. The process of claim 5 , wherein R 2a , R 2b , R 3a , R 3b , R 4a , R 4b are hydrogen.

9. The process of claim 5 , wherein the metal-ligand complex catalyst of the formula (I) is:

10. The process of claim 5 , wherein the metal-ligand complex catalyst of the formula (I) is:

11. The process of claim 5 , wherein the metal-ligand complex catalyst of the formula (I) is: