Substituent Effects on Titanocenium Catalysts.

Titanocene dichloride (1) and its bis(trifluoromethyl) (2) and bis(N,N-dimethylamino) (3) derivatives have been compared as catalysts for ethylene and propylene polymerizations using both methylaluminoxane (MAO) and triphenylcarbenium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate (4)/triisobutylaluminum (TIBA) as cocatalysts. The differences between the activities of the three ‘free’ titanocenium ions and the Mw of the polyolefins produced by them may be attributable to the relative stabilities of the intermediate olefin–titanocenium π-complexes. Interaction of either the neutral MAO or its anion with the titanocenium species may be responsible for the significantly lower catalytic efficiencies when the precursors were activated by MAO than by the 4/TIBA system.