Patent ID: 8318875

Claim:
A continuous process to produce polypropylene comprising contacting propylene in a reactor at 80 to 150° C. and 6.9 to 34.5 MPa, in the presence of an activator and a metallocene represented by the formula: R 2 Q bis(2-R 1 -4-R 2 -indenyl)MX 2 wherein each R is, independently, hydrogen or a C 1 to C 20 hydrocarbyl group, Q is Si, C, CH—CH, or CH—CH 2 , R 1 is a C 1 to C 12 linear, branched or cyclic alkyl group, each R 2 is, independently, a naphthyl, substituted phenyl or substituted naphthyl group, M is Hf or Zr and X is a halide or a C 1 to C 20 hydrocarbyl group, wherein 15 to less than 30 wt % propylene monomer, and 85 wt % to more than 70 wt % solvent, based on total weight of propylene monomer and solvent, is fed into the polymerization reactor, and the polymerization occurs at a temperature above the solid-fluid phase transition temperature of the polymerization system and above a pressure greater than 1 MPa below the cloud point pressure of the polymerization system, provided however that the polymerization occurs: (1) at a temperature below the critical temperature of the polymerization system, or (2) at a pressure below the critical pressure of the polymerization system, recovering an isotactic propylene homopolymer having: 1) more than 15 and less than 100 regio defects (sum of 2,1-erythro and 2,1-threo insertions and 3,1-isomerizations) per 10,000 propylene units; 2) an Mw (weight average molecular weight) of 35,000 g/mol or more; 3) a peak melting temperature of greater than 149° C.; 4) an mmmm pentad fraction of 0.85 or more; 5) a heat of fusion of 80 J/g or more; and 6) a peak melting temperature minus peak crystallization temperature (Tmp−Tcp) of less than or equal to (0.907 times Tmp) minus 99.64 (Tmp−Tcp≦(0.907×Tmp)−99.64), as measured in ° C. on the homopolymer having 0 wt % nucleating agent.