Polymerization of ethylene in the presence of a catalyst consisting of a tetraaryl titanate, a vanadium halide and an aluminum trihydrocarbyl

Claim 1

A SOLUTION PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A NORMALLY SOLID, HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYMER OF ETHYLENE WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING AN OLEFIN, SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PURE ETHYLENE AND MIXTURES OF ETHYLENE WITH A HIGHER A-OLEFIN IN WHICH ETHYLENE IS THE MAJOR COMPONENT, WITH A THREE-COMPONENT CATALYST, CONSISTING OF THE REACTION PRODUCT OF A TETRAARYL TITANATE, A VANADIUM HALIDE, IN WHICH THE VANADIUM HAAS A VALENCE ABOVE THREE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF VANADIUM TETRAHALIDES AND VANADIUM OXYTRIHALIDES, AND AN ALUMINUM TRIHYDROCARBON, IN AN INERT HYDROCARBON SOLVENT AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 120* TO 220*C., SUCH THAT THE POLYMER PRODUCED REMAINS IN SOLUTION, AND UNDER A PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF 1000 TO 25000 P.S.I. SUFFICIENT TO HOLD THE ETHYLENE IN SOLUTION, THE MOLE RATIO OF SAID VANADIUM HALIDE TO SAID TETRAARYL TITANATE BEING FROM 0.1 TO 10 AND THE MOLE RATIO OF SAID ALUMINUM TRIHYDROCARBON COMPOUND TO THE SUM OF THE TETRAARYL TITANATE PLUS VANADIUM HALIDE BEING FROM 0.3 TO 10.