Process for generating alpha olefin comonomers

A method for preparing comonomer product from an olefin feed comprising:

• contacting said olefin, a preformed catalyst having an olefin selectivity of at least 90 mol % to a desired comonomer product, and a solvent and/or diluent as a reaction mixture in a reactor under reaction conditions sufficient to produce an effluent comprising said desired comonomer product, wherein said desired comonomer product is an alpha-olefin oligomer, and said solvent and/or diluent has a boiling point less than that of said desired comonomer product at a reactor pressure;
• and
• controlling the reaction temperature to between 80° C. and 90° C. by evaporatively cooling said reactor by vaporization of said solvent and/or diluent within the reactor by adjusting the reactor pressure from about 120 psia (8.44 kg/cm2) to about 815 psia (57.3 kg/cm2);
• wherein said reaction conditions yield a single pass conversion of said olefin of greater than 90% and the preformed catalyst comprises the combination of:
• 1) a ligand represented by the formula:
• wherein:
• N is nitrogen;
• R1 and R20 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, optionally substituted hydrocarbyl, heteroatom containing hydrocarbyl, and silyl, provided that R1 or R20 do not equal T-J, or alternately R1 and R20 are each independently a ring having from 4 to 8 atoms in the ring selected from the group consisting of substituted cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, and heteroaryl;
• T is a bridging group, preferably represented by the formula -(T′R2R3)—, where T′ is carbon or silicon, R2 and R3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, and optionally substituted alkyl, heteroalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, silyl, boryl, phosphino, amino, alkylthio, arylthio, and combinations thereof, provided that two or more R2 and/or R3 groups may be joined together to form one or more optionally substituted ring systems having from 3 to 50 non-hydrogen atoms;
• and
• J is an optionally substituted six-membered heterocycle, containing at least one nitrogen atom as part of the ring, or J is an optionally substituted five-membered heterocycle, containing at least one nitrogen atom as part of the ring;
• or a ligand represented by the formula:
• wherein:
• P is phosphorus;
• each of R1*, R2*, R3*, R4*, R5*, R6*, R7*, R8*, R9*, R10*, R11*, R12*, R13*, R14*, R15*, and R16* is, independently, selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, optionally substituted hydrocarbyl, and optionally substituted heteroatom containing hydrocarbyl;
• each of Z1, Z2, Z3 or Z4 is, independently, selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, alkylthio, arylthio, hydroxyl, mercapto, and amino;
• and
• Q is a bridging group selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted hydrocarbyl having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms;
• 2) a metal precursor compound characterized by the general formula Cr(L)n where each L is independently selected from the group consisting of halide, alkyl, substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, substituted heteroalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, substituted heterocycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, hydroxy, boryl, silyl, amino, amine, hydrido, allyl, diene, seleno, phosphino, phosphine, ether, thioether, carboxylates, thio, 1,3-dionates, oxalates, carbonates, nitrates, sulfates, ethers, thioethers, and combinations thereof, wherein two or more L groups may be combined in a ring structure having from 3 to 50 non-hydrogen atoms;
• and n is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6;
• and
• 3) optionally, one or more activators.