Patent GB-1234797-A (GB)
Title: Process for hydrogenating polymers
IPC: C08C19/02
Filed: 1968-06-19
Abstract: 1,234,797. Hydrogenating polymers. BRIDGESTONE TIRE K.K. 19 June, 1968 [21 June, 1967], No. 29256/68. Headings C3G and C3P. Polymer having hydrogenatable unsaturated bonds is hydrogenated to provide hydrogenated polymer by a process which comprises contacting- a solution of the polymer to be hydrogenated with hydrogen at a temperature of from 0 to 120 C. in the presence of a catalyst which is a reaction product prepared by reacting, either in an inert solvent or in a solution of the polymer to be hydrogenated, one molar proportion of at least one metal chelate compound formed from a chelating agent and a metal selected from iron, cobalt and nickel, each molecule of chelating agent being attached to an atom of metal through a nitrogen atom and an oxygen atom, and from 0À2 to 10 molar proportions of at least one organometallic compound having the formula MR n  wherein M is at least one metal selected from lithium, magnesium and aluminium, n is the valency of the metal M or the sum of the valencies of the metals M and the or each R is a hydrogen atom, a hydrocarbon radical having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms or an alkoxy radical having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms with the proviso that at least one R is such a hydrocarbon radical. Unsaturated bonds which may be so hydrogenated are carbon-carbon double bonds, carbon-carbon triple bonds, carbonnitrogen triple bonds and nuclear aromatic bonds; the polymer to be hydrogenated may have a Mooney viscosity of more than 20 and may be a diene, for example polybutadiene, polyisoprene, butadiene grafted with a minor amount of styrene or a copolymer of butadiene with styrene or alphamethylstyrene or isoprene or acrylonitrile or vinylpyridine. The solvent for the polymer to be hydrogenated and/or for use in the preparation of the catalyst may be a saturated hydrocarbon, an aromatic hydrocarbon, a hydroaromatic hydrocarbon, a chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbon or an ether; solvents exemplified are hexane, heptane, octane, benzene, toluene, xylene, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, decalin, tetralin, chlorobenzene, tetrahydrofuran, anisole and dioxan; a mixture of such solvents may be used. The metal chelate compound preferably is anhydrous when reacted with the organometallic compound. The chelating agent may be a hydroxyquinoline, for example 8 - hydroxyquinoline, 5 - methyl- 8 - hydroxyquinoline or 10 - hydroxybenzoquinoline; a hydroxyoxime, for example salicylaldoxime, alphabenzoinoxime, alphabenzilmonooxime, 2 - hydroxy - 1 - acetophenoneoxime, phenanthrenequinonemonooxime or diacetylmonooxime; a nitrosohydroxy aromatic compound, for example o-nitrosophenol, alphanitrosobetanaphthol or betanitrosoalphanaphthol; an aldehydeimine, for example salicylaldehydeimine, salicylaldehydemethylimine, salicylaldehydephenylimine, salicylaldehydebenzylimine or bis(salicylaldehyde)ethylenediimine; an aromatic amino acid, for example 3 - amino - 2 - naphthoic acid or quinaldic acid; or o.hydroxybenzylamine. The Specification discloses numerous examples of the hydrocarbon radical R, present in the organometallic compound either as such or in combination with an oxygen atom to provide an alkoxy radical, and of the organometallic compound which may comprise two metals, for example lithiumaluminiumtetrabutyl. The solution of the polymer to be hydrogenated may have a viscosity of between 0À05 and 5000 poises and may contain polymer in a concentration. of between 1 and 30 weight per cent and catalyst, in a concentration such that at least. 0À1 mmol. of iron or cobalt or nickel is present per litre of polymer solution. A pressure of hydrogen of less than 10 atmospheres may be used. in. the hydrogenation process which may be a. continuous process in which pre-prepared catalyst is added to the polymer solution. The hydrogenated polymer may be recovered from solution. either by precipitation thereof by a polar solvent, for example alcohol or acetone, or by azeotropic distillation to remove solvent. Examples relate to the hydrogenation of a toluene solution of 82/18 butadiene-styrene random copolymer in the presence of a catalyst prepared from triethylaluminium and bis(salicylaldoxime)nickel (Example 1) or bis(salicylaldoxime)cobalt (Example 2) or bis(8HQ)cobalt (Example 3) or bis(8HQ)nickel (Examples 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9) or tris(alphanitrosobetanaphthol) cobalt (Example 5), n - butyllithium and bis(8HQ)nickel (Examples 12, 13 and 14), and diethylmagnesium. and bis(8HQ)nickel (Examples 15 and 16); of a toluene solution of butadiene in the presence of a catalyst prepared from triethylaluminium. and tris(8HQ)iron (Example 17) or bis(8HQ)nickel (Example 18) or bis(8HQ)cobalt (Example 19), and n-butyllithium and bis(8HQ)cobalt (Example 20); and of a n-hexane solution of 75/25 butadiene - styrene random copolymer in the presence, of a catalyst prepared from triethylaluminium and bis(8HQ)cobalt (Example 21); (8HQ) being 8 - hydroxyquinoline. In comparative examples, catalyst prepared from. triethyaluminium and nickel naphthenate (Example 10) and triethylaluminium and bis(acetylacetone)nickel (Example 11) is used. The hydrogenated polymer may be compounded for example with a filler (unspecified) to provide for example a rubber composition (see Example 21) which may be cured.