Patent ID: 7186782

Claim:
A process for hydrogenation of a conjugated diene polymer; the conjugated diene polymer being a homopolymer or copolymer of a conjugated diene, the process comprising bringing the conjugated diene polymer in an inert organic solvent into contact with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst composition to selectively hydrogenate the unsaturated double bonds of the conjugated diene polymer, wherein the hydrogenation catalyst composition includes the following hydrogenation catalyst: (a) a titanium compound represented by formula (I), of: wherein R 1 and R 2 are the same or different and are hydrogen, halogen, C 1 –C 8 alkyl or alkoxy, C 6 –C 12 cycloalkyl, phenyl, phenoxy, C 7 –C 10 arylalkoxy and arylalkyl, carboxy, —CH 2 P(phenyl) 2 CH 2 Si(C 1 –C 5 alkyl) 3 or —P(phenyl) 2 , Cp* indicates cyclopendienyl, indenyl, fluorenyl, or derivatives thereof; (b) a compound represented by formula (II), of: or formula (III), of: wherein L 1 is a Group IVA element, L 2 is a Group IIIA element R 3 is C 1 –C 12 alkyl or C 3 –C 12 cycloalkyl, R 4 is C 2 –C 12 alkyl or C 3 –C 12 cycloalkyl, X 1 , X 2 , and X 3 are the same or different and are C 1 –C 12 alkyl, C 1 –C 12 alkoxy, C 1 –C 12 cycloalkoxy, phenyl, or phenoxy; and (c) a trialkylaluminum compound represented by formula (IV), of: wherein R 5 , R 6 , and R 7 are the same or different and are C 1 –C 12 alkyl or C 6 –C 12 aryl, provided that R 5 , R 6 , and R 7 are not methyl simultaneously, wherein the molar ratio of the hydrogenation catalyst (b) to the hydrogenation catalyst (a) is 0.1 to 50, the molar ratio of the hydrogenation catalyst (c) to the hydrogenation catalyst (a) is 0.1 to 50, and the hydrogenation catalyst (a) is present in an amount of 0.0001 to 50 mmol based on 100 g of the conjugated diene polymer.