Process for the preparation of polymers of alpha-olefins at high temperatures

Claim 1

A coordination catalyst for a process for the preparation of high molecular weight polymers of α-olefins selected from the group consisting of homopolymers of ethylene and copolymers of ethylene and higher α-olefins, said catalyst being in inert solvent and being prepared by combining a first component with a second component, said first component being obtained by admixing rapidly a solution of an organoaluminum compound in inert hydrocarbon solvent with a solution of titanium tetrahalide in inert solvent at a temperature of less than 30° C. and heating the resultant admixture to a temperature of 150°-300° C. for a period of from 10 seconds to 10 minutes, said organoaluminum compound being of the formula AlR n X 3-n and being admixed with the titanium compound so that the atomic ratio of aluminum to titanium in the first component is in the range 0.2-2.0, said second component being a solution of organoaluminum compound in inert hydrocarbon solvent in which the organoaluminum compound is, independently, also of the formula AlR n X 3-n , said first and second components being combined so that the atomic ratio of aluminum in the second component to titanium is in the range 0.9 to 3; where R is alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl or alkyl-substituted aryl and has 1-20 carbon atoms, n=1, 1.5, 2 or 3 and X is halogen, said catalyst components being mixed in-line and fed to a polymerization reactor without separation of any fraction therefrom.