Reduced group valpha metal oxide on silica/alumina support

Claim 1

THE PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES POLYMERIZING ETHYLENE AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 50* C. AND ABOUT 350* C. AND PRESSURES RANGING FROM ABOUT NORMAL PRESSURES TO ABOUT 500 ATMOSPHERES IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST COMPOSITION CONSISTING OF FROM 90 TO 99.9% OF A SILICAALUMINA CARRIER IN WHICH THE AMOUNT OF ALUMINA IS FROM 5 TO 65% OF THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF ALUMINA AND SILICA, AND FROM 0.1 TO 10% OF AN OXIDE OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF VANADIUM, NIOBIUM, TANTALUM AND MIXTURES THEREOF WITH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID METALS HAVING BEEN TREATED WITH HYDROGEN AT A TEMPERATURE RANGING FROM 300* C. TO ABOUT 650* C. FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE SAID METAL TO A VALENCE OF LESS THAN 5.