GB1021755A - Olefinic copolymers - Google Patents

Abstract

Linear copolymers soluble in boiling aliphatic solvents, and containing units derived from one or more di- or polyalkenyl-benzenes, ethylene, and one or more aliphatic alpha-olefins containing 3 to 8 carbon atoms, are made by copolymerizing a mixture of the monomers in the presence of a catalyst comprising the reaction product of a vanadium compound and a halogen-containing organometallic aluminium or beryllium compound, or complex with a Lewis' base, such as an ether, thioether, tert.amine, or trisubstituted phosphine. Specified di- or polyalkenylbenzenes are diallylbenzenes, allyl-buten-2-yl-benzenes, allyl-buten-3-yl-benzenes, and allyl-hexen-5-yl-benzenes. The polymerization is preferably effected in a hydrocarbon or halogenated hydrocarbon solvent. The catalyst may be prepared and the polymerization effected at temperatures from - 80 DEG to 125 DEG C. Exemplified catalysts are (C2H5)2AlCl and VCl4, (C2H5)2AlCl and vanadium triacetylacetonate, beryllium methyl chloride and VCl4, and (C2H5)2AlOl and VCl3-tetrahydrofuranate. The alpha-olefin may be propylene or butene-1. The copolymers are recovered by conventional techniques, e.g. addition of methanol containing phenyl-betanaphthylamine, and treatment with HCl, water, and acetone. The copolymers may be vulcanized by known methods, e.g. by heating with a composition containing 2,2-methylen-bis-(4-methyl-6-tert.-butylphenol), zinc oxide, sulphur, and mercaptobenzothiazole.