Process for preparing a polymerization catalyst and preparation of ethylene polymers with this catalyst

Claim 1

A process for preparing a chromium- and vanadium containing catalyst component, which upon activation with heat at a temperature of from 400° to 1200° C. will effect the polymerization of α-olefins, comprising: (1) reacting in an inert solvent a chromium component selected from the group consisting of chromium carboxylates, chromium halides and chromium chelates of 1.3-diketo compounds, and (2) an organo-metallic compound of an element from Group II or III the periodic system in which hydrocarbyl groups with 1-20 carbon atoms are bound via a carbon atom to the element, and forming a solution in an inert solvent of a vanadium component selected from the group consisting of vanadium halides, vanadium oxyhalides vanadylesters having the formula VO(OR) 3 , wherein R is a hydrocarbyl group, vanadium salts of carboxylic acids, vanadium chelates of 1.3-diketo compounds and the complexes obtained by reacting said vanadium compounds with an organo-metallic compound of an element from Group II or III of the periodic system in which hydrocarbyl groups with 1-20 carbon atoms are bound via a carbon atom to the element, provided that not more than one of said chromium- and vanadium compounds is introduced in the form of a 1.3-diketo complex; and jointly or subsequently contacting the resulting solutions with and depositing the resulting chromium- and vanadium compounds on an inert inorganic support material, and separating from said solvent the resulting catalyst component comprising said chromium and said vanadium materials deposited onto said support.