Methods of producing highly nucleated syndiotactic polypropylene

A method of producing a thermoplastic comprising syndiotactic polypropylene comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a molten thermoplastic formulation comprising syndiotactic polypropylene;
• (b) introducing to said thermoplastic formulation of step “a” at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds conforming to Formula (I), Formula (II), and any mixtures of such compounds, wherein Formula (I) is:
• 3
• wherein M1 and M2 are the same or different and are at least one metal cation or H, or M1 and M2 are combined to form a single metal cation, wherein at most one of M1 and M2, is H;
• wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, and R10 are either the same or different and are individually selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C1-C9 alkyl, hydroxy, C1-C9 alkoxy, C1-C9 alkyleneoxy, amine, and C1-C9 alkylamine, halogens and phenyl;
• wherein any two vicinal or geminal alkyl groups may be combined to form a carbocyclic ring of up to six carbon atoms;
• wherein geminal constituents may be the same except that such geminal constituents cannot simultaneously be hydroxy;
• and wherein geminal constituents may be different from each other, except that such geminal constituents may not be hydroxy and halogen or hydroxy and amine simultaneously;
• wherein Formula (II) is:
• 4
• wherein R11, R12, R13, R14, R15, R16, R17, R18, R19, and R20 are individually selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C1-C9 alkyl, hydroxy, C1-C9 alkoxy, C1-C9 alkyleneoxy, amine, and C1-C9 alkylamine, halogen, phenyl, alkylphenyl, and geminal or vicinal C1-C9 carbocyclic, wherein geminal constituents may be the same except that such geminal constituents cannot simultaneously be hydroxy;
• and wherein geminal constituents may be different from each other, except that such geminal constituents may not be hydroxy and halogen or hydroxy and amine simultaneously;
• wherein R′ and R″ are the same or different and are individually selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C1-C30 alkyl, hydroxy, amine, polyoxyamine, C1-C30 alkylamine, phenyl, halogen, C1-C30 alkoxy, C1-C30 polyoxyalkyl, C(O)—NR21C(O), and C(O)O—R′″, wherein R21 is selected from the group consisting of C1-C30 alkyl, hydrogen, C1-C30 alkoxy, and C1-C30 polyoxyalkyl, and wherein R′″ alone or two adjacent R′″ groups (such as when R′ and R″ are the same) are combined to from a single moiety which is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a metal ion, an organic cation, polyoxy-C2-C18-alkylene, C1-C30 alkyl, C1-C30 alkylene, C1-C30 alkyleneoxy, a steroid moiety, phenyl, polyphenyl, C1-C30 alkylhalide, and C1-C30 alkylamine;
• and wherein at least one of R′ and R″ is either C(O)—NR21C(O) or C(O)O—R′″;
• and
• (c) allowing the resultant formulation of step “b” to cool.