Process for the polymerization of aldehydes using a chelated organoaluminum catalyst

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PREPARING LINEAR POLY(ALDEHYDES) WHICH COMPRISES POLYMERIZING ALDEHYDES BY CONTACTING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ALDEHYDES AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT -150*C. TO ABOUT +100*C. WITH, AS A CATALYST, A CHELATED ORGANOALUMINUM COMPOUND FORMED BY CHELATING AN ORGANOALUMINUM COMPOUND WITH A CHELATING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF DIKETONES, KETOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS AND ESTERS THEREOF, KETOALDEHYDES, HYDROXYKETONES, HYDROXYALDEHYDES, HYDROXYCARBOXYLIC ACID ESTERS, DICARBOXYLIC ACIDS AND ESTERS THEREOF, DIALDEHYDES, ALKOXYCARBOXYLIC ACIDS, KETOXIMES, DIALDEHYDE MONOXIMES, HYDROXAMIC ACIDS, DIOXIMES, AND AMINO ALCOHOLS, IN AN AMOUNT SUCH THAT THE MOLAR RATIO OF THE CHELATING AGENT TO THE ORGANOALUMINUM COMPOUND IS WITHIN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 0.01 TO ABOUT 2, SAID ORGANOALUMINUM COMPOUND HAVING THE FORMULA AIRX2 WHERE R IS A RADICAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKYL, CYCLOALKYL, ALKENYL, CYCLOALKENYL, ARYL, AND ALKARYL RADICALS CONTAINING FROM 1 TO 10 CARBON ATOMS AND X IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF R, H, HALOGEN, AND ALKOXY GROUPS CONTAINING FROM 1 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS AND SAID ALDEHYDE HAVING THE FORMULA RCHO WHERE R IS A RADICAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF H, ALKYL, CYCLOALKYL, ARYL, ALKARYL, ARALKYL, A HETEROCYCLIC RADICAL WHEREIN THE HETERO ATOM IS O, ALKENYL, CYCLOALKENYL, HALOALKYL, ALKOXYALKYL, AND ALKOXYARYL, SAID ALDEHYDE CONTAINING FROM 1 TO 8 CARBON ATOMS.