Synthesis and catalytic behavior in olefin polymerization of bimetallic titanium(IV) silsesquioxane complex and its polymeric counterpart

The new compound, tetrachlorodititanasilsesquioxane (2) and its polymeric analogue (3) have been synthesized, characterized and used for the first time in ethylene and 1-octene polymerization. These precatalysts, activated by Et2AlCl and EtAlCl2, were found to be catalytically active in polymerization of ethylene. The resulting polyethylenes have rather low molecular weight, decreasing with an increase in both reaction temperature and molar ratio of Al:Ti. In the presence of methylaluminoxane or boron compounds, the complex (2) also promotes polymerization of 1-octene.