Method for identifying Ziegler-Natta cocatalysts

#The present invention relates to the field of research for new cocatalyst compositions especially for use in Ziegler-Natta addition polymerization processes. More particularly, this invention is directed toward an apparatus and method of performing heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalyzed polymerization of olefins and related techniques for rapidly creating and testing libraries of cocatalyst compositions prepared by combinatorial techniques.

#Combinatorial (also known as high throughput or parallel) chemistry and materials science techniques have been used to rapidly screen large numbers of compounds for use in biological, organic, inorganic, and organometallic synthesis and research. Combinatorial materials science generally refers to the methods for creating a collection of chemically diverse compounds or materials and to methods for rapidly testing or screening this library of compounds or materials for desirable performance characteristics and properties. Areas for application of such combinatorial methods have included the discovery of compounds for use as biologically active materials as well as high-temperature superconductors, magnetoresistive materials, luminescent compounds, and catalysts. Examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,712,171, 5,776,359, 5,985,356, 6,004,617, 6,045,671, 6,326,090, 6,346,290, 6,627,571 and WO 00/40331.

#In addition to the foregoing patent references, numerous academic papers have also disclosed combinatorial techniques, including: Senkan, Nature, vol. 394, pp. 350-353 (Jul. 23, 1998); Burgess et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Eng., 1996, 35, No. 2, pp. 220-222; Maier et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Eng., 1998, 37, No. 19, pp. 2644-2647; Reetz et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Eng., 1998, 37, No. 19, pp. 2647-2650; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Eng., 1998, 37, No. 17, pp. 2333-2336; Morken et al., Science, vol. 280, pp. 267-270 (Apr. 10, 1998); and Gilbertson et al., Tetrahedron Letters, vol. 37, no. 36, pp. 6475-6478 (1996).

#All reference to the Periodic Table of the Elements herein shall refer to the Periodic Table of the Elements, published and copyrighted by CRC Press, Inc., 2001. Also, any reference to a Group or Groups shall be to the Group or Groups as reflected in this Periodic Table of the Elements using the IUPAC system for numbering groups. For purposes of United States patent practice, the contents of any patent, patent application, or publication referenced herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety (or the equivalent US version thereof is so incorporated by reference) especially with respect to the disclosure of synthetic techniques, raw materials, and general knowledge in the art. Unless stated to the contrary, implicit from the context, or customary in the art, all parts and percents are based on weight.

#If appearing herein, the term “comprising” and derivatives thereof is not intended to exclude the presence of any additional component, step or procedure, whether or not the same is disclosed herein. In order to avoid any doubt, all compositions claimed herein through use of the term “comprising” may include any additional additive, adjuvant, or compound, unless stated to the contrary. In contrast, the term, “consisting essentially of” if appearing herein, excludes from the scope of any succeeding recitation any other component, step or procedure, excepting those that are not essential to operability. The term “consisting of”, if used, excludes any component, step or procedure not specifically delineated or listed. The term “or”, unless stated otherwise, refers to the listed members individually as well as in any combination.

#A “library” as used in this invention has either chemical diversity or process diversity. Chemical diversity refers to a library having members that vary with respect to atoms or their arrangement in molecules or compounds. Process diversity refers to a library having members that may have begun with the same compounds, but experienced different processing conditions and are different as a result of those different processing conditions. Different processing conditions include varying the ratios of compounds and reagents, time of reaction, reaction temperature, reaction pressure, rate of starting component addition to the reaction, residence time (or product removal rate), reaction atmosphere, mixing rate, or other conditions that those of skill in the art will recognize. It is through the creation of libraries having diversity and the screening of such libraries for a property or compound of interest that a complete combinatorial research and development program may be undertaken for olefin polymerization reactions.