The present invention provides an organometal catalyst having a cationic transition metal complex and a borate-based bulky anion, a method for preparing the same, and a method for preparing an oligomer using the same.

A method of selectively reacting lignin or a lignin-derived reactant to yield an aromatic product. The method includes the step of reacting lignin or a lignin-derived reactant with a molybdenum-containing catalyst, in a solvent, and optionally in the presence of an oxidant, for a time and a temperature wherein at least a portion of the lignin or lignin-derived reactant is selectively converted into an aromatic product, preferably coniferaldehyde and/or sinapaldehyde.

D The present invention relates to ion pair catalysts (I) comprising the cationic bisguanidinium ligand (A) and diperoxomolybdate anion (B). The present invention also relates to ion pair catalysts (III) comprising the cationic bisguanidinium ligand (C) and peroxotungstate anion (D). It further relates to the use of the said catalysts in the manufacture of enantiomerically enriched sulfoxides. ##STR00001##

A process to form a cyclic olefin polymerization catalyst which includes contacting a metal alkoxide with a transition metal halide to form a transition metal precatalyst, and contacting the transition metal precatalyst with a metal alkyl activator to form the activated catalyst comprising a transition metal carbene moiety. A cyclic olefin polymerization process is also disclosed.

A supported catalyst system is based on a transition metal carbene including the moiety M1=CR*).sub.2, wherein M.sup.1 is the transition metal and R* is hydrogen or a C.sub.1-C.sub.8 hydrocarbyl. The catalyst system can be supported on a metal oxide support such as silica or the catalyst can be self-supporting. Methods of making the catalyst system can involve precursors based on and/or reacted with aluminum alkyls, halides, and/or alkoxides. Methods of polymerizing cyclic olefins with the catalyst system can obtain polyalkenamers, cyclic olefin polymers, cyclic olefin copolymers, and other metathesis reaction products. The supported catalyst and/or monomer can be recovered and recycled to the polymerization reactor.

In one aspect, the invention provides a method for synthesizing a fatty olefin derivative. The method includes: a) contacting an olefin according to Formula I ##STR00001##
with a metathesis reaction partner according to Formula IIb ##STR00002##
in the presence of a metathesis catalyst under conditions sufficient to form a metathesis product according to Formula IIIb: ##STR00003##
and b) converting the metathesis product to the fatty olefin derivative. Each R.sup.1 is independently selected from H, C.sub.1-18 alkyl, and C.sub.2-18 alkenyl; R.sup.2b is C.sub.1-8 alkyl; subscript y is an integer ranging from 0 to 17; and subscript z is an integer ranging from 0 to 17. In certain embodiments, the metathesis catalyst is a tungsten catalyst or a molybdenum catalyst. In various embodiments, the fatty olefin derivative is a pheromone. Pheromone compositions and methods of using them are also described.

Organosilicon Lewis acids supported on activated oxides and metal oxo complexes grafted on the organosilicon Lewis acids as heterogeneous catalysts and the related compositions, methods and systems are described. These organosilicon Lewis acids and the grafted metal oxo complexes catalyze industrially important chemical reactions including, respectively, CF bond activation and olefin metathesis reactions such as homocoupling and polymerizations.

The present invention provides compositions comprising metal complexes, and related methods. In some embodiments, metal complexes of the invention may be useful as catalysts for chemical reactions, including metathesis reactions, wherein the catalysts exhibit enhanced activity and stereoselectivity. In some embodiments, the invention may advantageously provide metal complexes comprising a stereogenic metal atom. Such metal complexes may be useful in enantioselective catalysis.

A compound represented by Chemical Formula 1 according to the present invention can coordinate with metal ions to form a bidirectional or multidirectional metal-organic hybrid structure. Thus, the present invention can synthesize various ligands using amine-aldehyde condensation, and synthesize metal-organic materials using the same.

A catalyst system has been designed that disrupts the sedimentation process. The catalyst system achieves this by saturating key feed components before the feed components are stripped into their incompatible aromatic cores. The efficacy of this disruptive catalyst system is particularly evident in a hydrocracker configuration that runs in two-stage-recycle operation. The catalyst is a self-supported multi-metallic catalyst prepared from a precursor in the hydroxide form, and the catalyst must be toward the top level of the second stage of the two-stage system.