Patent ID: 6864326

Claim:
A process for hydrogenation of a conjugated diene polymer, the process comprising: (a) polymerizing or copolymerizing at least one conjugated diene in a hydrocarbon solvent using an organic alkali metal polymerization initiator to prepare a living polymer; (b) adding a terminating agent selected from amines, esters, ketones or halogen compounds to deactivate an active terminal of the living polymer; and (c) selectively hydrogenating the conjugated diene polymer using at least one organotitanium compound and a highly active lithium hydride having a z-average particle diameter less than 2,000 nanometers, which is prepared by reacting an alkyl lithium solution with gaseous hydrogen in a loop-type reactor equipped with an injection nozzle, a circulating pump and a heat exchanger, the organotitanium compound being represented by where R 1 , is selected from cyclopentadienyl, C 1 to C 8 alkoxy, C 6 to C 20 aryloxy, or halogen; and R 2 and R 3 are the same or different and selected from halogen, C 1 to C 8 alkyl or alkoxy, C 6 to C 20 arylalkyl or aryloxy, or C 7 to C 20 alkoxyaryl or carbonyl.