Catalyst and use of same for polymerizing olefins

Claim 2

A catalyst obtained by mixing a first catalyst component solution and a second catalyst component, wherein the first catalyst component is formed by the chemical combination of: (1) a metal halide compound selected from metal dihalides and metal hydroxyhalides of a metal of Group IIA or IIB of the Mendeleev Periodic Table, and (2) a transistion metal compound of a transistion metal of.Group IVB or VB of the Mendeleev Periodic Table, the transisiton metal being bonded to at least one atom selected from oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur, said oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur atoms in turn being bonded to a carbon atom of a carbon containing radical, said first catalyst component being soluble in a dry inert solvent to produce said first catalyst component solution; and wherein the second catalyst component is a precipitating agent selected from organometallic compounds of a metal of Group I, II or III of the Mendeleev Periodic Table, metal halides and oxygen-containing halides of elements of Group IIIA , IVA, IV B , VA or VB of the Mendeleev Periodic Table, hydrogen halides, and organic acid halides having the formula I wherein R"' is an alkyl, aryl, or cycloalkyl group or a combined radical thereof, and X is a halogen atom characterized by said catalyst having deposited thereon a prepolymer comprising from about 1 to 50% by weight of the entire composition.

Claim 3

A catalyst as in claim 2, characterized in that the prepolymer is deposited in an amount from 3 to 40% by weight of the total composition; in particular wherein the amount of the prepolymer is from 5 to 20% by weight of the total composition.

Claim 4

A catalyst as in claim 2 or 3 characterized in that the prepolymer comprises polymer polymerized from at least one monomer selected from aliphatic mono-1- olefins having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms per molecule and conjugated dienes having from 4 to 8 carbon atoms per molecule.

Claim 5

A catalyst as in one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the catalyst has been further treated with a halide ion exchanging source; in particular wherein the catalyst has been further treated with a halide ion exchanging source at a temperature less than about 100°C; in particular wherein the catalyst has been further treated with a halide ion exchanging source at a temperature in the range of 15 to 90°C; in particular wherein the catayst has been further treated with a halide ion exchanging source at a temperature in the range of 15 to 50°C.

Claim 6

A catalyst as in claim 4, characterized in that said prepolymer has been deposited on the catalyst after said treatment with the halide ion exchanging source.

Claim 7

A catalyst as in any of claims 1 to 5 characterized by further comprising a cocatalyst.

Claim 8

A catalyst as in claim 6, characterized in that the halide ion exchanging source, if employed, is selected from titanium tetrachloride, vanadium oxychloride, and zirconium tetrachloride; and the cocatalyst. is selected from organometallic compounds having the general formulas and in which R" is individually selected from linear and branched chain hydrocarbyl radicals containing from' 1 to 20 carbon atoms per radical and each R" can be the same or different, and X is a halogen atom.

Claim 9

A catalyst as in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the metal halide compound is selected from beryllium dichloride, beryllium dibromide, beryllium hydroxyiodide, magnesium dichloride, magnesium dibromide, magnesium hydroxychloride, magnesium-diodide, magnesium difluoride, calcium dichloride, calcium dibromide, calcium hydroxybromide, zinc dichloride, zinc difluoride, and zinc hydroxychloride; the transition metal compound is selected from titanium tetrahydrocarbyloxides, titanium tetraimides, titanium tetraamides, titanium tetramercaptides, zirconium tetrahydrocarbyloxides, zirconium tetraimides, zirconium tetraamides, zirconium tetramercaptides, vanadium tetrahydrocarbyloxides, vanadium tetraimides, vanadium tetraamides, and vanadium tetramercaptides; the second catalyst component is selected from methylaluminium dibromide, ethylaluminium dichloride, ethylaluminium diiodide, isobutylaluminium dichloride, dodecylaluminium dibromide, dimethylaluminium bromide, diethylaluminium chloride, diisopropylaluminium chloride, methyl-n-propylaluminium bromide, di-n-octyl-aluminum bromide, diphenylaluminium chloride, dicyclohexylaluminium bromide, dieicosylaluminium chloride, methylaluminium sesquibromide, ethylaluminium sesquichloride, and ethylaluminium sesquiiodide; the halide ion exchanging source is titanium tetrachloride; and the cocatalyst is selected from methylaluminium dibromide, ethylaluminium dichloride, ethylaluminium diiodide, isobutylaluminium dichloride, dodecylaluminium dibromide, dimethylaluminium bromide, diethylaluminium chloride, diisopropylaluminium chloride, methyl-n-propyl aluminium bromide, di-n-octyl-aluminium bromide, diphenylaluminium chloride, dicyclohexyl aluminium bromide, dieicosylaluminium chloride, methylaluminium sesquibromide, ethylaluminium sesquichloride, ethylaluminium sesquiiodide, trimethylaluminium, triethylaluminium, triisopropylaluminium, tridecylaluminium, trieicosylaluminium, tricyclohexyl- aluminium, triphenylaluminium, 2-methylpentyldiethyl- aluminium, and triisoprenylaluminium; in particular wherein the metal halide compound is a magnesium dihalide, the transition metal compound is a titanium tetraalkoxide, the second analyst component is selected from ethylaluminium sesquichloride, ethylaluminium dichloride, the halide ion exchanging source is titanium tetrachloride, and the cocatalyst is triethylaluminium; in particluar wherein the metal halide is magnesium dichloride, the transition metal compound is titanium tetraethoxide; the second component is ethylaluminium sesquichloride; the halide ion exchanging source is titanium tetrachloride, and the cocatalyst is triethylaluminium.

Claim 10

Use of the catalyst of one of claims 1 to 8 in the polymerization or copolymerisation of polymerizable double bonds-containing compounds.

Claim 11

Embodiment as in claim 9, characterized in that said polymerizable compounds are selected from aliphatic mono-1-olefins, conjugated diolefins, vinylaromatic compounds, and mixtures of any two or more thereof; in particular wherein the polymerizable compounds comprise at least 90 weight percent aliphatic mono-1-olefin having from 2 to 18 carbon atoms per molecule with the remainder of the polymerizable compounds being acyclic conjugated dienes and/or vinylaromatic hydrocarbons; in particular wherein the polymerizable compound comprises at least 90 percent ethylene; in particular wherein the polymerizable compound is essentially ethylene; in particular wherein the polymerizable compounds comprise a conjugated diolefin having from 4 to 8 carbon atoms; in particular wherein the polymerizable compounds comprise a conjugated diolefin and a vinylaromatic compound.