Block copolymerizations of higher 1‐olefins with traditional polar monomers using metallocene‐type single component lanthanide initiators

Block copolymerizations of 1‐pentene or 1‐hexene with methyl methacrylate or ε‐caprolactone were explored using [Me2Si(2‐SiMe3‐4‐t‐BuMe2SiC5H2)2YH]2 (1) or [Me2Si(2‐SiMe3‐4‐t‐BuC5H2)2SmH]2 (2) as an initiator in toluene or in neat mixtures by the successive additions of monomers in this order. Random copolymerizations of 1‐pentene with 1‐hexene, and random copolymerization of ethylene with 1‐hexene were also performed using 1 as an initiator.