Process for the polymerization of aliphatic olefins

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR POLYMERIZING ETHYLENE COMPRISING PREPARING A REACTION MEDIUM CONSISTING OF (1) A HYDROCARBON DILUENT WHICH HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY FREED OF OXYGEN AND OXYGEN-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS AND (2) AN INSOLUBLE REACTION PRODUCT PREPARED BY REACTING IN A HYDROCARBON DILUENT MEDIUM A MIXTURE CONSISTING OF (A) A TITANIUM TETRAHALIDE WITH (B) SUFFICIENT OF A TRIALKYL ALUMINUM TO REDUCE THE VALENCY OF AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID TITANIUM AND WASHING THE RESULTING INSOLUBLE REACTION PRODUCT WITH A LIQUID HYDROCARBON, COMPONENTS (A) AND (B) BEING PRESENT IN THE RANGE FROM 1 TO 500 GRAMS PER LITER OF SAID HYDROCARBON DILUENT MEDIUM DURING THE PREPARATION OF SAID INSOLUBLE REACTION PRODUCT AND THE TITANIUM CONTENT IN SAID REACTION MEDIUM DURING POLYMERIZATION BEING BETWEEN 0.05 AND 0.001 GRAM ATOM PER LITER OF SAID REACTION MEDIUM, ADDING ETHYLENE TO SAID REACTION MEDIUM, ADDING CARBON MONOXIDE TO SAID REACTION MEDIUM WHILE SAID ETHYLENE IS POLYMERIZING THE ADDED CARBON MONOXIDE BEING IN THE RANGE BETWEEN 30 AND 250 P.P.M. BASED ON SAID ETHYLENE, AND MAINTIANING SAID REACTION MEDIUM ATA TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 20* AND 100*C. AND UNDER A PRESSURE BETWEEN 1 AND 100KG./CM.2 IN ORDER TO EFFECT POLYMERIZATION OF THE ETHYLENE IN SAID REACTION MEDIUM.