The present invention provides unimolecular metal complexes having increased activity in the copolymerization of carbon dioxide and epoxides. Also provided are methods of using such metal complexes in the synthesis of polymers. According to one aspect, the present invention provides metal complexes comprising an activating species with catalytic activity tethered to a ligand that is coordinated to the active metal center of the complex.

The present invention is directed to catalysts and processes for catalyzing two or more chemical reactions with a multifunctional catalyst in a reaction vessel. The processes include steps for introducing one or more reagents to a reaction vessel containing a multifunctional catalyst; contacting the one or more reagents with a first portion of the multifunctional catalyst to produce an intermediate; contacting the intermediate with a second portion of the multifunctional catalyst to produce a product; and removing the product from the reaction vessel. In certain embodiments, the multifunctional catalyst may have a first portion with carbonylation functionality for catalyzing the production of a beta-lactone intermediate from an epoxide reagent and a carbon monoxide reagent. In certain embodiments, the multifunctional catalyst may have a second portion with a functionality suitable for polymerization, co-polymerization, and/or modification of a beta-lactone intermediate. In preferred embodiments, the first portion and second portion are bonded to a heterogenous support.

A method of preparing a hydrogenation catalyst, for example, a phthalate hydrogenation catalyst, comprising contacting a silica support having a median pore size of at least about 10 nm with a silylating agent to form an at least partially coated silica support, calcining said coated silica support to form a treated silica support, and depositing a noble metal, preferably ruthenium, on the treated silica support, and optionally contacting the treated silica support with an optional chelating agent to form the hydrogenation catalyst; a hydrogenation catalyst prepared by that method; and a method of hydrogenating unsaturated hydrocarbons, such as phthalates, in which an unsaturated hydrocarbon is contacted with hydrogen gas in the presence of the hydrogenation catalyst of the invention.

A method of producing a hydrogenation catalyst, for example, a phthalate hydrogenation catalyst, comprising contacting a silica support having a medium pore size of at least about 10 nm with an acid to produce a treated silica support, and depositing a noble metal, preferably ruthenium, on the treated silica support to produce a noble metal-containing silica support, and optionally contacting the noble metal-containing silica support with a chelating agent to form the hydrogenation catalyst; a hydrogenation catalyst prepared by that method; and a method of hydrogenating unsaturated hydrocarbons, such as, phthalates, in which an unsaturated hydrocarbon is contacted with hydrogen gas in the presence of the hydrogenation catalyst of the invention.

This invention relates to novel catalyst compositions based on Ruthenium- or Osmium-based complex catalysts of the Grubbs-Hoveyda, Grela or Zhan type and specific co-catalysts comprising at least one vinyl group, pref. ethyl vinyl ether, and to a process for selectively hydrogenating nitrile rubbers in the presence of such catalyst compositions, preferably with a preceding metathesis step using the same complex catalyst as in the hydrogenation step.

A method of producing a hydrogenation catalyst, for example, a phthalate hydrogenation catalyst, comprising contacting a silica support having a medium pore size of at least about 10 nm with an acid to produce a treated silica support, and depositing a noble metal, preferably ruthenium, on the treated silica support to produce a noble metal-containing silica support, and optionally contacting the noble metal-containing silica support with a chelating agent to form the hydrogenation catalyst; a hydrogenation catalyst prepared by that method; and a method of hydrogenating unsaturated hydrocarbons, such as, phthalates, in which an unsaturated hydrocarbon is contacted with hydrogen gas in the presence of the hydrogenation catalyst of the invention.

A method of preparing a hydrogenation catalyst, for example, a phthalate hydrogenation catalyst, comprising contacting a silica support having a median pore size of at least about 10 nm with a silylating agent to form an at least partially coated silica support, calcining said coated silica support to form a treated silica support, and depositing a noble metal, preferably ruthenium, on the treated silica support, and optionally contacting the treated silica support with an optional chelating agent to form the hydrogenation catalyst; a hydrogenation catalyst prepared by that method; and a method of hydrogenating unsaturated hydrocarbons, such as phthalates, in which an unsaturated hydrocarbon is contacted with hydrogen gas in the presence of the hydrogenation catalyst of the invention.

A method of preparing a hydrogenation catalyst, for example, a phthalate hydrogenation catalyst, comprising contacting a silica support having a median pore size of at least about 10 nm with a silylating agent to form an at least partially coated silica support, calcining said coated silica support to form a treated silica support, and depositing a noble metal, preferably ruthenium, on the treated silica support, and optionally contacting the treated silica support with an optional chelating agent to form the hydrogenation catalyst; a hydrogenation catalyst prepared by that method; and a method of hydrogenating unsaturated hydrocarbons, such as phthalates, in which an unsaturated hydrocarbon is contacted with hydrogen gas in the presence of the hydrogenation catalyst of the invention.

Provided are new functionalized nitrile rubbers, which may optionally also be in partially or wholly hydrogenated form, and also a process for preparing them by metathesis of nitrile rubbers in the presence of a metathesis catalyst and at least one functionalized allyl compound. The new functionalized nitrile rubbers are suitable for producing vulcanizable mixtures and allow the production of vulcanizates having very stable networks. Also made possible, in particular, is the synthesis of block copolymers.