Patent ID: 7683145

Claim:
A process for emulsion polymerization of one or more olefins, comprising: i) preparing a catalyst by reacting a) a ligand of the formula Ia or Ib or a mixture of at least two of the ligands Ia or Ib with b-1) a phosphine compound PR′ 3 , wherein R′ is hydrogen, C 1 -C 12 alkyl, C 4 -C 12 cycloalkyl, C 7 -C 15 aralkyl or C 6 -C 15 aryl group, and c) a metal compound of the formula M(L 2 ) 2 or M(L 2 ) 2 (L 1 ) z , wherein the formulas of the ligands Ia and Ib (a) are as follows: wherein each R substituent represents one or more of the following radicals: hydrogen, halogen, nitrile; or C 1 -C 12 alkyl, C 1 -C 12 alkoxy, C 7 -C 13 aralkyl, C 6 -C 14 aryl groups, each optionally substituted by C 1 -C 12 alkyl groups, halogens, C 1 -C 12 alkoxy, C 3 -C 12 cycloalkyl, C 1 -C 12 thioether groups, or carboxyl groups or sulfo groups, each being in its acid or salt form, or amino and/or C 1 -C 12 alkyl substituted amino groups; amino groups NR 1 R 2 , where R 1 and R 2 together or separately are hydrogen, C 1 -C 12 alkyl, C 7 -C 13 aralkyl or C 6 -C 14 aryl groups and may additionally form a saturated or unsaturated 5- to 10-membered ring, unsubstituted or substituted by C 1 -C 12 alkyl groups, halogens, C 1 -C 12 alkoxy, C 3 -C 12 cycloalkyl, C 1 -C 12 thioether groups, or carboxyl groups or sulfo groups, each being in its acid or salt form, or amino and/or C 1 -C 12 alkyl substituted amino groups; and wherein identical or different compounds of the formulae Ia and Ib optionally are bridged by one or more C 1 -C 12 alkylene, C 2 -C 12 alkylated azo or formula II bridging moieties, said formula II having the structure: wherein Y is silicon or germanium and R 3 and R 4 are hydrogen and/or C 1 -C 12 alkyl; and wherein the definitions of the metals and L groups in the metal compounds are as follows: M is a transition metal selected from the group consisting of Groups 7 to 10 of the Periodic Chart of the Elements; L 1 is phosphanes (R 5 ) x PH 3-x or amines (R 5 ) x NH 3-x with identical or different radicals R 5 , ethers (R 5 ) 2 O, H 2 O, alcohols (R 5 )OH, pyridine, pyridine derivatives of the formula C 5 H 5-x (R 5 ) x N, CO, C 1 -C 12 alkyl nitriles, C 6 -C 14 aryl nitriles or ethylenically unsaturated double bond systems, x being an integer from 0 to 3; R 5 is hydrogen, C 1 -C 20 alkyl groups, which may in turn be substituted by O(C 1 -C 6 alkyl) or N(C 1 -C 6 alkyl) 2 groups, C 3 -C 12 cycloalkyl groups, C 7 -C 13 aralkyl radicals, or C 6 -C 14 aryl groups, L 2 is halide ions or R 6 x NH 3-x , where x is an integer from 0 to 3 and R 6 is C 1 -C 12 alkyl or C 1 -C 6 alkyl anions, allyl anions, benzyl anions or aryl anions, and optionally L 1 and L 2 being linked to one another by one or more covalent bonds; and z is a number from 0 to 4; and ii) immediately (co)polymerizing one or more olefins in water or a solvent mixture with a water content of at least 50% by volume in the presence of an emulsifier and, optionally, of an activator.