Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Polymers from only ethylenic monomers or processes of...
Patent
1993-02-02
1995-02-21
Teskin, Fred
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Polymers from only ethylenic monomers or processes of...
526114, 526115, 526126, 526127, 526128, 526132, 526134, 526148, 526151, 526159, 526160, 526161, 526163, 526165, 526166, 526170, 5263472, 502102, 502103, 502152, 502155, 502164, C08F 416, C08F 1208, C08F 454
Patent
active
053916611
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a process for producing a styrenic polymer and a catalyst for use therein. More particularly, it pertains to a process for efficiently producing a styrenic polymer having a high degree of syndiotactic configuration in the stereochemical structure of the polymer main chain and to a catalyst to be used in the process.
BACKGROUND ART
It has recently been disclosed by the research group of the present inventors that a styrenic polymer having a syndiotactic configuration is obtained by polymerizing a styrenic monomer by the use of a catalyst comprising as primary ingredients a transition-metal compound, especially a titanium compound and an alkylaluminoxane (Refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 187708/1987, 179906/1988, 241009/1988, etc.).
Methylaluminoxane, particularly suitable as an alkylaluminoxane, is obtained usually by the reaction between trimethylaluminum and water. However, the above-mentioned reaction involves the problem that the reaction is difficult to put into practical production because of its violent reaction, and further suffers the disadvantages that in addition to requiring expensive trimethylaluminum as the starting material, an excessively large amount of methylaluminoxane is required as a component of the catalyst as compared with the amount of a transition-metal, thus causing an extremely expensive catalyst, and further that after the polymerization reaction, an additional step for the removal of the catalyst remaining in the resultant polymer is required.
There has recently been reported that a polymerization catalyst not containing aluminoxane is capable of polymerizing .alpha.-olefin(principally, ethylene) by R. Taube (J. Organomet. Chem. C9-C11, 347 (1988)), H. Turner (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 111,2728 (1989)), R. F. Jordan (Organomet. 8,2892 (1989)), etc. Nevertheless, investigation has not yet been made on a polymerization catalyst not containing aluminoxane for the polymerization of a styrenic monomer, leaving the problem that a styrenic monomer, different from an .alpha.-olefin, is likely to be polymerized into an atactic polymer in the presence of a cationic species.
Under such circumstances, intensive research and investigation were concentrated by the present inventors into the development of a catalyst capable of efficiently polymerizing a styrenic monomer into the styrenic polymer having syndiotactic configuration without the use of expensive aluminoxane required in a large amount and the development of the process for producing the styrenic polymer by the use of the aforementioned catalyst.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
As a result, it has been found by the present inventors that the use of a catalyst combination comprising a specific transition-metal compound and a specific coordination complex compound or a catalyst combination comprising a alkylating agent in addition to the aforesaid two specific compounds is capable of efficiently producing the objective styrenic polymer having syndiotactic configuration by virtue of its markedly improved activity and at the same time, capable of minimizing the residual catalyst in the resultant polymer.
The present invention has been accomplished on the basis of the above-mentioned finding and information.
Specifically, the present invention provides a catalyst which comprises (A) a transition-metal compound and (B) a coordination complex compound comprising an anion in which a plurality of radicals are bonded to a metal and a quaternary ammonium salt. The present invention also provides a catalyst which comprises the above-mentioned components (A) and (B) and an alkylating agent. The present invention further provides a process for producing a styrenic polymer by the use of the aforesaid catalyst in the case of polymerizing at least one styrenic monomer selected from styrene and a derivative thereof.
THE MOST PREFERRED EMBODIMENT TO CARRY OUT THE INVENTION
The catalyst according to the present invention comprises as principal components the above-mentioned components (
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patent: 5066741 (1991-11-01), Campbell
patent: 5153157 (1992-10-01), Hlatky et al.
patent: 5171919 (1992-12-01), Watanabe et al.
Naganuma Shoji
Tomotsu Norio
Watanabe Masami
Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd.
Teskin Fred
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