The present invention refers to novel ruthenium- and osmium-based catalysts for olefin metathesis reactions, particularly to catalysts having stereoselective properties. Z-selectivity is obtained by utilizing two mono-anionic ligands of very different steric requirement. In olefin metathesis reactions these catalysts selectively provide the Z-isomer of disubstituted olefinic products even in presence of air or of acids.

A process to make an isoalkane alkylate base oil, comprising: a. oligomerizing an olefin feed having a carbon number from 3 to 6 using a metallocene catalyst to make an unsaturated olefin oligomer; and b. alkylating an isoalkane feed with the unsaturated olefin oligomer in the presence of an acidic alkylation catalyst, and without any addition of hydrogen, to make an alkylate product comprising the isoalkane alkylate base oil having a kinematic viscosity at 100° C. greater than 10 mm.sup.2/s, a VI higher than 80, and a bromine index less than 1000 mg Br/100 g.

Provided is a mononuclear ruthenium complex that comprises a ruthenium-silicon bond that is represented by formula (1) and that exhibits excellent catalyst activity in each of a hydrosilylation reaction, a hydrogenation reaction, and reduction of a carbonyl compound. ##STR00001## In formula (1), R.sup.1-R.sup.6 either independently represent an alkyl group, an aryl group, an aralkyl group or the like that may be substituted with a hydrogen atom or X, or represent a crosslinking substituent in which at least one pair comprising one of R.sup.1-R.sup.3 and one of R.sup.4-R.sup.6 is combined. X represents a halogen atom, an organoxy group, or the like. L represents a two-electron ligand other than CO and phosphine. When a plurality of L are present, the plurality of L may be the same as or different from each other. When two L are present, the two L may be bonded to each other. n and m independently represent an integer of 1 to 3 with the stipulation that n+m equals 3 or 4.

The invention relates to a process for preparing 1,3-butadiene by means of ene-yne metathesis over at least one transition metal catalyst of the element ruthenium.

The invention is directed to ruthenium-based metathesis catalysts of the Grubbs-Hoveyda type. The new 2-aryloxy-substituted ruthenium catalysts described herein reveal rapid initiation behavior. Further, the corresponding styrene-based precursor compounds are disclosed. The catalysts are prepared in a cross-metathesis reaction starting from styrene-based precursors which can be prepared in a cost-effective manner. The new Grubbs-Hoveyda type catalysts are suitable to catalyze ring-closing metathesis (RCM), cross metathesis (CM) and ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Low catalyst loadings are necessary to convert a wide range of substrates including more complex and critical substrates via metathesis reactions at low to moderate temperatures in high yields within short reaction times.

Methods for making alpha olefin oligomers and polyalphaolefins include a step of contacting a C.sub.4 to C.sub.20 alpha olefin monomer and a catalyst system containing a metallocene, a first activator comprising a solid oxide chemically-treated with an electron withdrawing anion, and a second activator comprising an organoaluminum compound. The alpha olefin oligomers and polyalphaolefins prepared with these catalyst systems can have a high viscosity index combined with a low pour point, making them particularly useful in lubricant compositions and as viscosity modifiers.

The present disclosure describes a method of coupling a first compound to a second compound, the method comprising: providing the first compound having a fluorosulfonate substituent; providing the second compound comprising an alkene; and reacting the first compound and the second compound in a reaction mixture, the reaction mixture including a catalyst having at least one group 10 atom, the reaction mixture under conditions effective to couple the first compound to the second compound.

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.

The present invention relates to a ligand compound, an organic chromium compound, a catalyst system for ethylene oligomerization, a preparation method thereof, and an ethylene oligomerization method using the same. The catalyst system for ethylene oligomerization according to the present invention is used to prepare a low-density polyethylene in one reactor by using a small amount of comonomers such as alpha-olefin or by using only ethylene without comonomers, because it maintains high catalytic activity and high alpha-olefin selectivity even though supported on a support.

Disclosed herein are a chromium compound represented by Formula 1a or 1b and a catalyst system including the same, exhibiting superior catalytic activity in an olefin trimerization reaction:

[{CH.sub.3(CH.sub.2).sub.3CH(CH.sub.2CH.sub.3)CO.sub.2}.sub.2Cr(OH)]  [Formula 1a]

[{CH.sub.3CH.sub.2CH(CH.sub.2CH.sub.3)CO.sub.2}.sub.2Cr(OH)]  [Formula 1b].