Crystalline Isotactic Polar Polypropylene from the Palladium-Catalyzed Copolymerization of Propylene and Polar Monomers

Moderately isospecific homopolymerization of propylene and the copolymerization of propylene and polar monomers have been achieved with palladium complexes bearing a phosphine-sulfonate ligand. Optimization of substituents on the phosphorus atom of the ligand revealed that the presence of bulky alkyl groups (e.g. menthyl) is crucial for the generation of high-molecular-weight polypropylenes (M_w≈10⁴), and the substituent at the ortho-position relative to the sulfonate group influences the molecular weight and isotactic regularity of the obtained polypropylenes. Statistical analysis suggested that the introduction of substituents at the ortho-position relative to the sulfonate group favors enantiomorphic site control over chain end control in the chain propagation step. The triad isotacticity could be increased to mm=0.55–0.59, with formation of crystalline polar polypropylenes, as supported by the presence of melting points and sharp peaks in the corresponding X-ray diffraction patterns.