GB857887A - Improvements relating to polymerisation - Google Patents

Abstract

Ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbons are polymerized to solid polymers in the presence of catalysts comprising an aluminuim halide, an aromatic mercury derivative and a salt of a Group IVa metal, in an inert liquid medium. Specified monomers are ethylene, propylene, butylenes, pentenes, butadiene, styrene, a -methyl styrene and mixtures e.g. ethylene- -propylene and styrene-butadiene. The aluminium halide may be aluminium bromide or aluminium chloride, the mercury compound may be diphenyl mercury, di (p-tolyl) mercury, phenyl mercurichloride or p-tolyl mercurichloride; and the metal salt may be a halide of titanium, zirconium or hafnium, e.g. titanium tetrachloride. Heterogeneous catalyst systems may be supported, e.g. on silica gel or charcoal. Specified media are trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, ethylene dibromide, n-hexane, n-heptane, n-decane, n-dodecane, cyclohexane, stannic chloride and silicon tetrachloride. The products may be recovered by washing with water, hydrochloric acid, methanol, ethanol or mixtures thereof.ALSO:Catalyst compositions for the polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbons comprise an aluminium halide, an aromatic mercury compound and a salt of a Group IVa metal. Specified aluminium halides are aluminium bromide and aluminium chloride. Specified mercury compounds are diphenyl mercury, di(p-tolyl)mercury, phenyl mercurichloride and p-tolyl mercurichloride. The salt is preferably a halide, e.g. bromide or chloride, of titanium, zirconium or hafnium, the use of titanium tetrachloride being exemplified. Heterogeneous catalyst systems may be supported, e.g. on charcoal or silica gel. An inert liquid medium is also present; specific hydrocarbons and halogenated hydrocarbons are mentioned, as well as stannic chloride and silicon tetrachloride.