Patent GB-926346-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to epoxide polymerization catalysts
IPC: B01J31/26
Filed: 1961-07-07
Abstract: An epoxide polymerization catalyst is prepared by reacting one mole of an alkaline earth metal hexammoniate with from 0,3 to 1,0 mole of an olefin oxide, which is free of ethylenic and acetylenic unsaturation and contains only carbon, hydrogen and a single oxirane oxygen bonded to adjacent carbon atoms to form a vicinal epoxy group, and from 0,2 to 0,8 mole of a dialkyl sulphoxide which contains a total of from two to six carbon atoms which are alpha to the sulphinyl group, said reaction being conducted in an excess of liquid ammonia medium, and subsequently evaporating from the resulting product mixture the excess liquid ammonia.  The catalyst may also be prepared as a slurry or suspension in an inert organic liquid such as a dialkyl ether of an alkylene glycol or an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon.ALSO:Epoxides are polymerized in the presence of a catalyst which is prepared by reacting one mole of an alkaline earth metal hexammoniate with from 0,3 to 1,0 mole of an olefin oxide, which is free of ethylenic and acetylenic unsaturation and contains only carbon, hydrogen and a single oxirane oxygen bonded to adjacent carbon atoms to form a vicinal epoxy group, and from 0,2 to 0,8 mole of a dialkyl sulphoxide which contains a total of from two to six carbon atoms which are alpha to the sulphinyl group, said reaction being conducted in an excess of liquid ammonia medium, and subsequently evaporating from the resulting product mixture the excess liquid ammonia.  The epoxides are preferably polymerized to form granules by means of a suspension polymerization process, in which the reaction is conducted in the presence of an inert, normally-liquid organic vehicle in which the monomeric reactant is soluble and the resulting polymer is insoluble.  Bulk and solution polymerization may also be used, suitable solvents being aromatic, aliphatic and cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons; anisole and dialkyl ethers of alkylene glycols. Catalyst weights are preferably from 0,2 to 10% by weight of the monomer feed.  The epoxide starting materials to be used are one or more vicinal-epoxyhydrocarbons having a single vicinal epoxy group and being free of ethylenic or acetylenic unsaturation. The examples relate to the polymerization and copolymerization of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide and 1,2-epoxy butane.  The products may be formed into films.ALSO:An epoxide polymerization catalyst is prepared by reacting one mole of an alkaline earth metal hexammoniate with from 0.3 to 1.0 mole of an olefin oxide, which is free of ethylenic and acetylenic unsaturation and contains only carbon, hydrogen and a single oxirane oxygen bonded to adjacent carbon atoms to form a vicinal epoxy group, and from 0.2 to 0.8 mole of a dialkyl sulphoxide which contains a total of from two to six carbon atoms which are alpha to the sulphinyl group, said reaction being conducted in an excess of liquid ammonia medium, and subsequently evaporating from the resulting product mixture the excess liquid ammonia. Suitable olefin oxides are alkylene oxides, cycloalkyl-substituted alkylene oxides, cycloalkylene oxides, and aryl-substituted alkylene oxides.  The catalyst may also be prepared as a slurry or suspension in an inert organic liquid such as a dialkyl ether of an alkylene glycol or an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon.