Catalyst, method of producing the catalyst, and polymerization process employing the catalyst

Claim 1

A process for producing a polyolefin comprising contacting at least one polymerizable compound selected from the group consisting of aliphatic mono-1-olefins, conjugated diolefins, and vinyl aromatic compounds under polymerization conditions with a cocatalyst comprising at least one organometallic compound selected from the group consisting of organometallic compounds of Groups I to III of the Periodic Table and a catalyst prepared by (A) preparing a first catalyst component by reacting in a suitable dry, essentially inert diluent reactants comprising (1) a metal halide compound selected from the group consisting of metal dihalide compounds and metal hydroxyhalide compounds and the metal of the metal halide compound is selected from the group consisting of Group IIA metals and Group IIB metals of the Mendeleev Periodic Table; and (2) a transition metal compound in which the transition metal is selected from the group consisting of Group IVB and Group VB transition metals of the Mendeleev Periodic Table and the transition metal is bonded to at least one radical selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbyloxides, amides, imides, and mercaptides; and (B) reacting a solution of said first catalyst component with a second catalyst component in the presence of an atmosphere of a polymerizable olefin monomer selected from the group consisting of aliphatic mono-1-olefins and conjugated dienes at a pressure in the range of about 1 to about 1,000 psia, wherein the molar ratio of the transition metal compound to the metal halide compound is in the range of about 10:1 to about 1:10, and wherein the concentration of the metal halide in said diluent is in the range of about 0.2 molar to about 1.2 molar, and wherein said second catalyst component comprises a precipitating agent selected from the group consisting of organometallic compounds of Groups I, II, and III selected from the group consisting of lithium alkyls, Grignard reagents, dialkyl magnesium compounds, dialkyl zinc compounds, and hydrocarbyl aluminum halides; metal halides and oxyhalides of metals of Groups IIIA, IVA, IVB, VA, and VB; hydrogen halides; and organic acid halides selected from the group consisting of compounds having the formula ##STR2## wherein R''' is an alkyl, aryl, or cycloalkyl group or combinations thereof and X is a halide, and wherein said precipitating agent is combined with said solution of said first catalyst component in either an undiluted form or as an admixture with a suitable essentially inert diluent, the concentration of said precipitating agent in said diluent being at least 0.2 molar, further wherein said solution of said first catalyst component and said second catalyst component are added together during an addition time of less than about two hours, and then (C) reacting the solid product resulting from step (B), which optionally has been reacted with a halide ion exchanging source selected from the group consisting of titanium tetrahalides, vanadium oxychloride, and zirconium tetrachloride, with a polymerizable olefin selected from aliphatic mono-1-olefins and conjugated dienes in the presence of an adequate amount of a cocatalyst selected from the group consisting of organometallic compounds of Groups I to III of the Periodic Table to produce a catalyst containing 1 to 50 weight percent prepolymer.