Alpha-olefin polymerization catalyst and process for producing alpha-olefin polymer

Abstract

An α-olefin polymerization catalyst comprising (A) a solid catalyst component containing a titanium compound obtained by treating a solid product having a titanium content of 1.5% by weight or less obtained by reducing Ti(OR 1 ) a X 4-a (R 1 represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, X represents a halogen atom and a represents a number satisfying 0<a≦4.) with an organomagnesium compound in the presence of an organosilicon compound having an Si—O bond and an ester compound, with an ester compound, and treating the ester-treated solid with a mixture of an ether compound and titanium tetrachloride or a mixture of an ether compound, titanium tetrachloride and an ester compound, (B) an organoaluminum compound and (C) an electron donative compound, and a process for producing an α-olefin polymer with said α-olefin polymerization catalyst.

1 - 8 . (Cancelled)  
     
     
         9 . A process for producing an α-olefin polymer which comprises polymerizing an α-olefin with an α-olefin polymerization catalyst comprising: 
 (A) a solid catalyst component obtained by treating a solid product having a titanium content of 1.5% by weight or less obtained by reducing Ti(OR 1 ) a X 4-a  (R 1  represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, X represents a halogen atom and a represents a number satisfying 0<a≦4.) with an organomagnesium compound in the presence of an organosilicon compound having an Si—O bond and an ester compound, with an ester compound, and treating the ester-treated solid with a mixture of an ether compound and titanium tetrachloride or a mixture of an ether compound, titanium tetrachloride and an ester compound;    (B) an organoaluminum compound; and    (C) an electron donative compound.    
     
     
         10 . A process for producing an α-olefin polymer according to  claim 9 , wherein the organosilicon compound used in the reducing reaction is a member selected from the group consisting of organosilicon compounds represented by the general formulae:  
         Si(OR 2 ) m R 3   4-m ;  R 4 (R 5   s SiO) p SiR 6   3 ; and  (R 7   2 SiO) q   
       wherein R 2  is a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, each R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6  and R 7  is a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms or hydrogen, m is a number satisfying 0<m≦4, p is an integer of 1 to 1000 and q is an integer of 2 to 1000.  
     
     
         11 . A process for producing an α-olefin polymer according to  claim 9 , wherein the organomagnesium is a member selected from the group consisting of organomagnesium compound represented by the general formulae:  
         R 8 MgX; and  R 9 R 10 Mg 
       wherein each R 8 , R 9  and R 10  represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms and X represents a halogen.  
     
     
         12 . A process for producing an α-olefin polymer according to  claim 10 , wherein the ester compound used in the treatment of the reduced solid or used as the mixture of the ether compound, titanium tetrachloride and the ester compound, is a member selected from the group consisting of saturated aliphatic carboxylates, unsaturated aliphatic carboxylates, alicyclic carboxylates and aromatic carboxylates.  
     
     
         13 . A process for producing an α-olefin polymer according to  claim 9 , wherein the ester compound is a member selected from the group consisting of dialkyl ethers, the each alkyl having 2 to 10 carbon atoms and being the same or different each other.  
     
     
         14 . A process for producing an α-olefin polymer according to  claim 9 , wherein the amount of the ether compound used in the treatment of the solid product is 0.1 to 50 mol per 1 mol of the titanium atom contained in the solid product, and 0.01 to 1.0 mol per 1 mol of the magnesium atom contained in the solid product.  
     
     
         15 . A process for producing an α-olefin polymer according to  claim 9 , wherein the organoaluminum compound is a member selected from the group consisting of organoaluminum compounds represented by the general formulae:  
         R 11   γ AlY 3-γ ; and  R 12 R 13 Al—O—ALR 14 R 15   
       wherein each of R 11  to R 15  represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, Y represents a halogen, hydrogen or an alkoxy group and γ is a number satisfying 2≦γ≦3.  
     
     
         16 . A process for producing an α-olefin polymer according to  claim 9 , wherein the amount of the organoaluminum compound used is 0.5 to 1000 mol per 1 mol of the titanium atoms contained in the solid catalyst component.  
     
     
         17 . A process for producing an α-olefin polymer according to  claim 9 , wherein the electron donative compound is a member selected from the group consisting of alcohols, phenols, ketones, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, esters of organic acids and inorganic acids, ethers, acid amides, acid anhydrides, ammonias, amines, nitrites and isocyanates.  
     
     
         18 . A process for producing an α-olefin polymer according to  claim 17 , wherein the electron donative compound is a member selected from the group consisting of esters of inorganic acids represented by the general formula:  
         R 16   n Si(OR 17 ) 4-n   
       wherein R 16  is a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms or hydrogen, R 17  is a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, R 16  and R 17  each may be different in the same molecule, and n is a number satisfying 0≦n<4, and ethers represented by the general formula:  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 18  to R 21  are independently a straight chain or branched chain alkyl, alicyclic, aryl, alkylaryl or arylalkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and R 18  or R 19  may be hydrogen.  
     
     
         19 . A process for producing an α-olefin polymer according to  claim 9 , wherein the amount of the electron donative compound (C) is 0.1 to 1000 mol per 1 mol of the titanium atoms contained in the solid catalyst component (A).  
     
     
         20 . A process for producing an α-olefin polymer according to  claim 9 , wherein a preliminary polymerization has been carried out prior to the polymerization of the α-olefin.  
     
     
         21 . A process for producing an α-olefin polymer according to  claim 9 , wherein the polymerization is carried out in the form of a slurry polymerization, a solution polymerization, a bulk polymerization or a gas phase polymerization.