Polymerization process

A process to polymerize olefins comprising contacting, in a reactor, a pyridyl-di-imine compound and an activator with one or more olefin monomer(s) in the presence of a fluorinated hydrocarbon wherein the pyridyl-di-imine compound is represented by the formula:

• where M is nickel;
• and
• R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10, R11, and R12 are, independently, hydrogen, or a hydrocarbyl, substituted hydrocarbyl, halocarbyl, substituted halocarbyl, silylcarbyl, substituted silylcarbyl, germylcarbyl, or substituted germylcarbyl substituents, and adjacent R groups may join together to form a substituted or unsubstituted, saturated, partially unsaturated, or aromatic cyclic or polycyclic substituents;
• and
• R13, R14, and R15 are, independently, hydrogen or hydrocarbyl, and optionally, adjacent R groups may join together to form a substituted or unsubstituted, saturated, partially unsaturated, or aromatic cyclic or polycyclic substituents;
• and
• X1 and X2 are, independently, halogens, alkoxides, aryloxides, amides, phosphides, hydrides, hydrocarbyls, substituted hydrocarbyls, halocarbyls, substituted halocarbyls, silylcarbyls, substituted silylcarbyls, germylcarbyls, or substituted germylcarbyls;
• or both X are joined and bound to the metal atom to form a metallacycle ring containing from about 3 to about 20 carbon atoms;
• or both together can be an olefin, diolefin or aryne ligand.