Polymerization of conjugated diolefins with a cobaltous compound-aluminum alkyl dihalide-amine or ammonia catalyst

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR POLYMERIZING A MONOMERIC MATERIAL COMPRISING A CONJUGATED DIENE CONTAINING FROM 4 TO 8, INCLUSIVE, CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID MONOMERIC MATERIAL WITH A CATALYST FORMED BY MIXING (1) A COMPOUND HAVING THE FORMULA RAIX2, WHEREIN R IS AN ALKYL RADICAL AND X IS A HALOGEN, AND (2) THE REACTION PRODUCT OBTAINED BY REACTING A COBALTOUS COMPOUND WITH AN AMINE-TYPE COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AMMONIA, PYRIDINE, PIPERIDINE, AND ALKYL SECONDARY AND TERTIARY AMINES, THE MOLE RATIO OF SAID RAIX2 COMPOUND TO SAID COBALTOUS COMPOUND BEING IN THE RANGE OF 2:1 TO 400:1 AND THE MOLE RATIO OF SAID AMINE-TYPE COMPOUND TO SAID COBALTOUS COMPOUND BEING IN THE RANGE OF 0.5:1 TO 8:1, PROVIDED THAT THE MOLE RATIO OF AMINE-TYPE COMPOUND TO ALKYLALUMINUM DIHALIDE DOES NOT EXCEED 0.6 WHEN THE LEVEL OF THE ALKYLALUMINUM DIHALIDE WHICH IS USED IS BELOW 10 MILLIMOLES PER 100 PARTS OF CONJUGATED DIENE, SAID CONTACTING OCCURING IN THE PRESENCE OF A HYDROCARBON DILUENT, AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF --100 TO 250* F. AND UNDER PRESSURE SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN THE REACTION MIXTURE IN THE LIQUID PHASE; AND RECOVERING THE RUBBERY POLYMER SO PRODUCED.