Shape-shifted magnesium alkoxide component for polymerizing olefins

• US 5,567,665 A
• Filed: 05/23/1995
• Issued: 10/22/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: W R Grace & Company - CONN (WR Grace & Company)
• Original Assignee: Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology Corporation (Dow, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jorgensen, Robert J., Wagner, Burkhard E., Zilker, Daniel P. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Delmendo, Romulo H.
• Application Number:
  US08/447,921
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 502/9, 502/104, 502/107, 502/110, 502/111, 502/115, 502/120, 502/125, 526/124.5, 526/124.6, 526/125.4, 526/125.8, 526/908, 423/159, 423/161
• US Class Current: 502/9
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 21/10 Magnesium; Oxides or hydroxides thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 37/088 Decomposition of a metal salt
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/68 Preparation of metal alcoholates C07C29/42, C07C29/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 31/30 Alkali metal or alkaline earth metal alcoholates
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 10/00 Homopolymers and copolymers of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 210/06 Propene
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 210/16 Copolymers of ethene with alpha-alkenes, e.g. EP rubbers
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2500/12 Melt flow index or melt flow ratio
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2500/18 Bulk density
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 4/6548 magnesium or compounds thereof, not provided for in C08F4/6543 or C08F4/6546
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 526/908 Containing catalyst of specified particle size

Abstract

A process is provided for preparing a shape-shifted catalyst component comprising (1) contacting a dihydrocarbyloxide magnesium compound with carbon dioxide in the presence of a slurrying agent to form a slurry of a carboxylated dihydrocarbyloxide magnesium compound; (2) adding a filler to the slurry either before or after the carboxylation of step (1); (3) spray drying the slurry of step (2) to evaporate the slurrying agent and to produce solid particles of the carboxylated dihydrocarbyloxide magnesium compound incorporating the filler; and, optionally, (4) heating the solid particles to remove carbon dioxide to produce a shape-shifted dihydrocarbyloxide magnesium compound component. A catalyst system using the component and a polymerization process employing the catalyst system are also provided.

Claims

1. A process for preparing a catalyst component comprising:

(1) contacting dihydrocarbyloxide magnesium with carbon dioxide in the presence of a slurrying agent to form a magnesium hydrocarbyl carbonate;

(2) adding a filler an average particle size of no greater than 1 μ

m either before or after the duhydrocarbyloxide magnesium is contacted with carbon dioxide;

(3) spray drying the slurry of step (2) to evaporate the slurrying agent and to produce solid particles of magnesium hydrocarbyl carbonate incorporating the filler; and

(4) heating the solid particles to remove carbon dioxide to produce a hydrocarbyloxide magnesium catalyst component having an average particle size from about 5 μ

m to 200 μ

m.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein the dihydrocarbyloxide magnesium compound is prepared in the slurry by reacting magnesium metal with an alcohol.

3. The process according to claim 2 wherein the filler is a substantially non-porous, inert material selected from the group consisting of fumed silica, titanium dioxide, and calcium carbonate.

4. The process according to claim 3 wherein in step (3) the solid particles are heated to a temperature ranging from about 100°

C. to about 325°

C.

5. The process according to claim 4 wherein the slurrying agent is a polar slurrying agent in which the magnesium hydrocarbyl carbonate is soluble.

6. The process according to claim 5 wherein the dihydrocarbyloxide magnesium compound is magnesium ethoxide.

7. A process according to claim 6 wherein the slurrying agent is ethanol and the filler is fumed silica.