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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Ethylene Polymerizations Using Parallel Pressure Reactors and a Kinetic Analysis of Chain Transfer Polymerization
Published on: November 27, 2015
Coordination-insertion copolymerization of allyl monomers with ethylene
Shingo Ito1, Masafumi Kanazawa, Kagehiro Munakata
1Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
A new palladium catalyst enables coordination-insertion copolymerization of ethylene with various allyl monomers. This process creates highly linear copolymers with unique in-chain functional groups for diverse applications.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Chemistry
- Organometallic Chemistry
Background:
- Ethylene polymerization is a cornerstone of the plastics industry.
- Incorporating functional groups into polyolefins via traditional methods remains challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel catalytic system for the copolymerization of ethylene with functionalized allyl monomers.
- To synthesize highly linear copolymers with precisely placed functional groups.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a palladium/phosphine-sulfonate catalyst system.
- Investigated the coordination-insertion copolymerization mechanism.
- Employed various allyl monomers (e.g., allyl acetate, allyl alcohol, protected allylamines, allyl halides).
Main Results:
- Achieved successful copolymerization of ethylene with a range of allyl monomers.
- Produced highly linear copolymers containing in-chain -CH(2)CH(CH(2)FG)- units.
- Demonstrated the versatility of the catalyst for incorporating diverse functionalities.
Conclusions:
- The developed palladium catalyst effectively facilitates coordination-insertion copolymerization.
- This method offers a pathway to functionalized linear polyolefins.
- The resulting copolymers hold potential for advanced material applications.
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