Substituted polycyclic, fused ring compounds, metal complexes and polymerization process

A polycyclic, fused ring compound corresponding to the formula:

• (Cp*)p—M* (I) or CpM(Z)z(X)x(L)1(X′)x′ (II),
• where Cp* is a polycyclic, fused ring ligand or inertly substituted derivative thereof comprising at least:
• (1) a cyclopentadienyl ring, (2) a 7 membered polyatomic ring, and (3) two aromatic ring systems, with the proviso that said 7 membered ring (2), is fused to both the cyclopentadienyl ring (1), and said two aromatic ring systems (3), at positions adjacent to the cyclopentadienyl ring thereby leaving one remaining ring position on the 7-membered ring which is substituted with a substituent group resulting in sp2 hybridization on the ring atom bonded thereto, said Cp* having up to 60 atoms other than hydrogen;
• p is 1 or 2;
• when p is 1, M* is hydrogen, an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal halide, and, when p is 2, M* is an alkaline earth metal;
• said M* being bound to at least one of the non-fused, ring-carbons of the cyclopentadienyl ring, (1);
• Cp is the aromatic ligand group derived from Cp* by removal of M* from (Cp*)p—M*;
• M is a metal selected from Groups 3-10 or the Lanthanide series of the Periodic Table of the Elements;
• Z is either:
• a) a cyclic ligand group containing delocalized π-electrons, including a second or third, fused, polycyclic ligand, Cp, said Z being bonded to M by means of delocalized π-electrons and optionally also covalently bonded to Cp through a divalent bridging group, Z′ , or
• b) a divalent moiety of the formula —Z′Y—, wherein,
• Z′ is SiR62, CR62, SiR62SiR62, CR62CR62, CR6═CR6, CR62SiR62, BR6, BR6L″, or GeR62;
• Y is —O—, —S—, —NR5—, —PR5—;
• —NR52, or —PR52;
• R5, independently each occurrence, is hydrocarbyl, trihydrocarbylsilyl, or trihydrocarbylsilylhydrocarbyl, said R5 having up to 20 atoms other than hydrogen, and optionally two R5 groups or R5 together with Y form a ring system;
• R6, independently each occurrence, is hydrogen, or a member selected from hydrocarbyl, hydrocarbyloxy, silyl, halogenated alkyl, halogenated aryl, —NR52, and combinations thereof, said R6 having up to 20 non-hydrogen atoms, and optionally, two R6 groups form a ring system;
• L″ is a monodentate or polydentate Lewis base optionally bonded to R6;
• X is hydrogen or a monovalent anionic ligand group having up to 60 atoms not counting hydrogen;
• L independently each occurrence is a neutral ligating compound having up to 20 atoms, other than hydrogen, and optionally L and X are bonded together;
• X′ is a divalent anionic ligand group having up to 60 atoms other than hydrogen;
• z is 0, 1 orb 2;
• x is 0, 1, 2, or 3;
• t is a number from 0 to 2, and
• x′ is 0 or 1.