Process for production of rubbery cis-1, 4-polybutadiene

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR POLYMERIZING 1,3-BUTADIENE, TO PRODUCE A POLYMER HAVING A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF CIS 1,4-ADDITION WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING 1,3-BUTADIENE UNDER POLYMERIZATION CONDITIONS WITH A CATALYST FORMED BY MIXING MATERIALS COMPRISING (A) AN ORGANOMETAL COMPOUNDS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COMPOUNDS HAVING THE FORMULA RNM AND COMPOUNDS HAVING THE FORMULA R2ALH, WHEREIN R IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKYL, CYCLOALKYL, ARYL, AND COMBINATIONS OF THESE RADICALS, M IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MAGNESIUM AND ALUMINUM, AND N IS AN INTEGER EQUAL TO THE VALENCE OF THE METAL M, AND (B) THE HYDROCARBON-SOLUBLE REACTION PRODUCT OF SODIUM IODIDE AND A TITANIUM HALIDE HAVING THE FORMULA TIXY, WHEREIN X IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CHLORINE AND BROMINE, AND Y IS AN INTEGER FROM 2 TO 4, INCLUSIVE, SAID REACTION PRODUCT HAVING BEEN FORMED BY CONTACTING SODIUM IODIDE AND TITANIUM HALIDE WITH UP TO 0.5 MOL OF ALUMINUM CHLORIDE PER MOL OF SODIUM IODIDE AND IN THE ABSENCE OF THE HYDROCARBON AND DILUENT WHEN NO ALUMINUM CHLORIDE IS PRESENT, THERE BEING AT LEAST 0.05 MOL OF ALUMINUM CHLORIDE PER MOL ON SODIUM IODIDE WHEN HYDROCARBON DILUENT IS PRESENT, AND DISSOLVING SOLUBLE PORTION OF THE TOTAL REACTION PRODUCT IN HYDROCARON DILUENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PARAFFINS, CYCLOPARAFFINS, AROMATICS AND MIXTURES THEREOF HAVING 3 TO 12 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE, THE MOL RATIO OF SAID ORGANOMETAL COMPOUND TO SAID TITANIUM HALIDE BEING IN THE RANGE OF 2:1 TO 20:1 WHEN SAID ORGANOMETAL COMPOUND IS AN ORGANOALUMINUM COMPOUND AND IN THE RANGE OF 0.75:1 TO 3:1 WHEN SAID ORGANOMETAL COMPOUND IS AN ORGANOMAGNESIUM COMPOUND AND THE MOL RATIO OF SAID SODIUM IODIDE TO SAID TITANIUM HALIDE BEING IN THE RANGE OF 1:1 TO 5:1, SAID HYDROCARBON SOLUBLE REACTION PRODUCT BEING SEPARATED FROM ANY HYDROCARBON INSOLUBLE REACTION PRODUCT PRIOR TO SAID MIXING.