Preliminary investigations on polymerization catalysts composed of lanthanocene and methylaluminoxane

The polymerization of butadiene(Bd), isoprene(Ip) and styrene(St) has been examined using the six catalyst systems composed of lanthanocene, (C5H9Cp)(2)NdCl(I), (C5H9Cp)(2)SmCl(II), (MeCp)(2)SmOAr'(III), (Ind)(2)NdCl(IV), Me2Si(Ind)(2)NdCl(V) and (Flu)(2)NdCl(VI), and methylaluminoxane(MAO) respectively. All of them can be used to form the polyisoprene with molecular weights of 1 to 10 thousand and cis-1,4-unit contents of 41 to 47%. (I), (II) and (III) of them can be also used to form the polybutadiene with molecular weights of 10 to 20 thousand and cis-1,4-unit contents of 62 to 78%. In addition, the catalysts from (II) to (V) are still active for St polymerization and (II) of them gives a syndio -rich random polystyrene. It is noteworthy that (II) and (III) are active for homopolymerization of Bd, Ip and St in the same polymerization condition.