Abstract:
A method of polymerizing and copolymerizing olefins with a novel catalyst comprising (a) the reaction product of an inorganic compound of a polyvalent metal having a valence of at least three, e.g., TiC14, and a solid, bivalent metal hydroxylated inorganic phosphate, e.g., Ca5(PO4)3OH, or hydroxychloride, e.g., Mg(OH)C1, (b) a metal, a hydride, or an organometallic compound of metals of Groups IVB , VB and VIB, e.g., Sn(C4H9)4, and (c) a Group IIIB or VB halide, e.g., A1C13.
Abstract:
Propylene is polymerized using a catalyst obtained by reacting an organometallic derivative of a Group I, II, III or IV metal with the hydrocarbon-insoluble portion of a complex compound obtained by the reaction of a transition metal compound with a compound H2X where X is selenium or sulphur. The hydrocarbon-insoluble portion of the complex compound is produced by reacting hydrogen selenide or sulphide with the transition metal compound, if desired in the presence of an inert hydrocarbon, washing the product in the absence of atmospheric humidity with a dry solvent and drying it under a vacuum. The preferred transition metal compound is titanium tetrachloride and the preferred organometallic compounds are alkylated, possibly halogenated, aluminium derivatives such as triethyl aluminium. The polymerization may be in bulk or in a solvent. In one of the examples the polypropylene obtained using a hexane solvent is filtered from the solvent, washed with dry hexane, treated with an alkaline solution of hydrogen peroxide, subjected to treatment with water vapour in the presence of NaOH and the purified polymer extracted wth boiling heptane.