Equistar Chemicals, LP

Edward D Kist

Mark K Reinking

Douglas D Klendworth

Karen E Meyer

The invention relates to supports comprising inorganic oxide particles coated with magnesium chloride and a method for making them. The inorganic oxide has a mean particle diameter of less than 5 microns and is used as a seed to crystallize magnesium chloride from solution. The magnesium chloride-coated inorganic oxide is useful for supporting transition metal compounds; the supported transition metal compounds are used as catalysts for polymerizing olefins.

Magnesium chloride support

A process for polymerizing propylene is disclosed. The process involves charging propylene and about 90 to 99% of an organoaluminum cocatalyst to a reactor and heating this mixture to at least about 50&deg; C. This is followed by addition of a premix of 1 to 10% of the organoaluminum cocatalyst with a magnesium halide-supported Ziegler-Natta catalyst. The temperature of the reaction mixture is maintained to produce a propylene polymer. The process gives improved catalyst activity.

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Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Edward D Kist