Metallocene synthesis

US5936108A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• ALBEMARLE CORPORATION · US

Inventors

• Ronny W. Lin · Sugar Land, US
• Bruce C. Berris · Baton Rouge, US
• John M. Power · Garland, US
• Troy E. DeSoto · Baton Rouge, US
• John F. Balhoff · Baton Rouge, US
• Jamie R. Strickler · Baton Rouge, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 24, 1997
• Grant date: Aug 10, 1999
• Expiry date: Dec 24, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S526/943
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A metallocene having one or two hydrocarbyl groups bonded to a Group 4 metal are produced from a crude impure pasty or non-wet mixture containing at least 50% by weight of a metallocene having two halogen atoms bonded to a Group 4 metal atom, by (a) mixing liquid aromatic hydrocarbon with the crude impure pasty or non-wet mixture; (b) mixing a solution of an organolithium compound in a suitable anhydrous ether or paraffinic hydrocarbon solvent or a mixture thereof, with the mixture from (a) and agitating the resulting mixture so that lithium halide solids are formed; and (c) separating the solids and recovering the resultant liquid portion which is mainly a solution of the metallocene having one or two hydrocarbyl groups bonded to a Group 4 metal. Additional optional steps include (d) replacing the original solvent from the solution from (c) with a liquid paraffinic hydrocarbon diluent to form a slurry of product solids; and (e) recovering the product metallocene solids. Preferred organolithium compounds have the formula, RLI.nLiX, where R is tert-alkyl, aryl, alkaryl, benzyl, or alkyl-substituted benzyl, or most preferably, methyl, and X is Br or I.