Disclosed herein is a process for the conversion of polymers, oligomers, or mixtures thereof into shorter alkanes, carboxylic acids, alcohols, alkyl halides or aldehydes. This process includes contacting the polymers, oligomers, or mixtures thereof with the compound of formula (I):

Al(R.sup.1).sub.3  (I)

where R.sup.1 is independently selected at each occurrence thereof from the group consisting of H, aryl, C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl, and C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkoxy, as a reaction mixture, in the presence of a catalyst selected from the group consisting of a transition metal catalyst, a lanthanide series metal catalyst, or combinations thereof.

According to one embodiment, a catalyst system that reduces polymeric fouling may include at least one chromium compound, at least one aluminum compound, and at least one antifouling agent or a derivative thereof. The antifouling agent may have a structure including a central aluminum molecule bound to an R1 group, bound to an R2 group, and bound to an R3 group. One or more of the chemical groups R1, R2, and R3 may be antifouling groups having the structure —O((CH.sub.2).sub.nO).sub.mR4, a phosphonium or phosphonium salt, a sulfonate or sulfonate salt, a sulfonium or sulfonium salt, an ester, an anhydride, a polyether, or a long-chained amine-capped compound, where n is an integer from 1 to 20, m is an integer from 1 to 100, and R4 is a hydrocarbyl group. The chemical groups R1, R2, or R3 that do not include an antifouling group, if any, may be hydrocarbyl groups.

According to one embodiment, a catalyst system that reduces polymeric fouling may comprise at least one titanate compound, at least one aluminum compound, and at least one antifouling agent or a derivative thereof. The antifouling agent may comprise a structure comprising a central aluminum molecule bound to an R1 group, bound to an R2 group, and bound to an R3 group. One or more of the chemical groups R1, R2, and R3 may be antifouling groups comprising the structure —O((CH.sub.2).sub.nO).sub.mR4, where n is an integer from 1 to 20, m is an integer from 1 to 100, and R4 is a hydrocarbyl group. The chemical groups R1, R2, or R3 that do not comprise the antifouling group, if any, may be hydrocarbyl groups.

According to one embodiment, a catalyst system that reduces polymeric fouling may comprise at least one titanate compound, at least one aluminum compound, and at least one antifouling agent or a derivative thereof. The antifouling agent may comprise a structure comprising a central aluminum molecule bound to an R1 group, bound to an R2 group, and bound to an R3 group. One or more of the chemical groups R1, R2, and R3 may be antifouling groups comprising the structure —O((CH.sub.2).sub.nO).sub.mR4, where n is an integer from 1 to 20, m is an integer from 1 to 100, and R4 is a hydrocarbyl group. The chemical groups R1, R2, or R3 that do not comprise the antifouling group, if any, may be hydrocarbyl groups.

A transition metal-based heterogeneous carbonylation reaction catalyst has an excellent catalytic activity and selectivity in the carbonylation reaction and is easily separated from a product, by crosslinking polymerizing a transition metal-based homogeneous catalyst unit through a Friedel-Craft reaction. The catalyst may be used in a method for preparing lactone. The transition metal-based heterogeneous carbonylation reaction catalyst allows to produce lactone or succinic anhydride with an epoxide compound while showing a high selectivity, and can be applied in industrial very usefully due to easy separation from the product and thus reusing thereof.

The present invention relates to a transition metal-based heterogeneous carbonylation reaction catalyst that has an excellent catalytic activity and selectivity in the carbonylation reaction and is easily separated from a product, by crosslinking polymerizing a transition metal-based homogeneous catalyst unit through a Friedel-Craft reaction; and a method for preparing lactone using the same. The transition metal-based heterogeneous carbonylation reaction catalyst allows to produce lactone or succinic anhydride with an epoxide compound while showing a high selectivity, and can be applied in industrial very usefully due to easy separation from the product and thus reusing thereof.

According to one embodiment, a catalyst system that reduces polymeric fouling may comprise at least one titanate compound, at least one aluminum compound, and at least one antifouling agent or a derivative thereof. The antifouling agent may comprise a structure comprising a central aluminum molecule bound to an R1 group, bound to an R2 group, and bound to an R3 group. One or more of the chemical groups R1, R2, and R3 may be antifouling groups comprising the structure —O((CH.sub.2).sub.nO).sub.mR4, where n is an integer from 1 to 20, m is an integer from 1 to 100, and R4 is a hydrocarbyl group. The chemical groups R1, R2, or R3 that do not comprise the antifouling group, if any, may be hydrocarbyl groups.

The present invention relates to a transition metal-based heterogeneous carbonylation reaction catalyst that has an excellent catalytic activity and selectivity in the carbonylation reaction and is easily separated from a product, by crosslinking polymerizing a transition metal-based homogeneous catalyst unit through a Friedel-Craft reaction; and a method for preparing lactone using the same. The transition metal-based heterogeneous carbonylation reaction catalyst allows to produce lactone or succinic anhydride with an epoxide compound while showing a high selectivity, and can be applied in industrial very usefully due to easy separation from the product and thus reusing thereof.

A method for separating a homogeneous catalyst from a solution includes forming a host-guest compound between a first isomer of the catalyst and inclusion compound in the solution and isolating the host-guest compound from the solution. The catalyst may be released from the inclusion compound by converting the first isomer of the catalyst to a second isomer of the catalyst.

A chemical reaction is catalyzed in an organic solvent using a water soluble N-heterocyclic carbene homogeneous catalyst to form a reaction mixture. An aqueous phase in the reaction mixture. A solvent in which the catalyst is insoluble is added to the reaction mixture, causing the catalyst to migrate to the aqueous phase to form a catalyst-laden aqueous phase. The catalyst is extracted from the catalyst-laden aqueous phase.