Method of polymerizing olefins

Claim 1

The method of making polymers of 1-olefins of 2 to 8 carbon atoms and copolymers of said olefins and 1-olefins of 2 to 20 carbon atoms which comprises polymerizing said olefins under polymerizing conditions with a catalyst prepared by dispersing on a finely divided, difficulty reducible, inorganic support of the class consisting of silica, alumina, thoria, zirconia, titania, magnesia, and mixtures and composites thereof a reaction product of (1) a chromium carboxylate essentially of the formula ##STR6## wherein R is selected from hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, arylalkyl, cycloalkyl, and cycloalkenyl radicals and combinations of these radicals with R containing 0-30 carbon atoms and a corresponding number of valence-satisfying hydrogen atoms, m is a whole number of 1 to 3, n is a whole number of 0 to 2, m plus n is 2 or 3 and X is a negative group relative to chromium and (2) an organic nitrogen compound capable of forming a complex with trivalent chromium and essentially of the formula of the class consisting of ##STR7## wherein each R' is individually selected from hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, aryl, and arylalkyl radicals with each R' containing 0-10 carbon atoms and a corresponding number of valence-satisfying hydrogen atoms, j is a whole number of 1 to 5, k is a whole number of 1 to 3, and Y is >CO, >NH, or >CH 2 , and activating the resulting mixture of said support and said reaction product by heating to and at an elevated temperature of from about 600°-2000° F. in a non-oxidizing atmosphere.

Claim 2

The method of making polymers of 1-olefins of 2 to 8 carbon atoms and copolymers of said olefins and 1-olefins of 2 to 20 carbon atoms which comprises polymerizing said olefins under polymerizing conditions with a catalyst prepared by dispersing on a finely divided, difficulty reducible, inorganic support of the class consisting of silica, alumina, thoria, zirconia, titania, magnesia, and mixtures and composites thereof a reaction product of (1) a chromium carboxylate essentially of the formula ##STR6## wherein R is selected from hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, arylalkyl, cycloalkyl, and cycloalkenyl radicals and combinations of these radicals with R containing 0-30 carbon atoms and a corresponding number of valence-satisfying hydrogen atoms, m is a whole number of 1 to 3, n is a whole number of 0 to 2, m plus n is 2 or 3 and X is a negative group relative to chromium and (2) an organic nitrogen compound capable of forming a complex with trivalent chromium and essentially of the formula of the class consisting of ##STR7## wherein each R' is individually selected from hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, aryl, and arylalkyl radicals with each R' containing 0-10 carbon atoms and a corresponding number of valence-satisfying hydrogen atoms, j is a whole number of 1 to 5, k is a whole number of 1 to 3, and Y is >CO, >NH, or >CH 2 , and activating the resulting mixture of said support and said reaction product by heating to and at an elevated temperature of from about 600°-2000° F. in a non-oxidizing atmosphere.