New catalyst for the polymerization of alkylene oxides

Abstract

Abstract It was found that a binary mixture of metal alkyl (diethyl zinc, diethyl cadmium, triethyl aluminium, butyl lithium) and alumina or silica‐alumina was an excellent catalyst for the polymerization of alkylene oxides (ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butadiene monoxide). The binary mixture gave polymers of much higher molecular weight in higher yield than alumina or silica‐alumina alone. A reaction mechanism for this catalytic system was proposed. The polyalkylene oxide of high molecular weight produced by this catalyst was shown to be crystalline.