Catalytic polymerization of olefins

Summary

• 1. Nickel, cobalt, and iron catalysts on glass, aluminum oxide, and synthetic aluminosilicate carriers were tried for the polymerization of propene at 276° and the hydrogenation of propene at 200°. The same catalysts, after reduction with hydrogen at 450°, were tried in the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane.

• 2. All the catalysts on glass-powder carriers were found to be inactive in all the reactions investigated, except that the nickel catalyst was active in the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane.

• 3. Of the catalysts on aluminum oxide carriers, only the nickel catalysts were active in the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane, and this had an extremely low activity in the polymerization of propene.

• 4. A synthetic aluminosilicate that was active in the polymerization of propene was partially deactivated when additions containing iron and cobalt were made. On addition of nickel, the yield of polymerizate increased at low space velocities of propene and fell greatly at high space velocities. Of all the aluminosilicate-based carriers tried, only the nickel catalyst was active in the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane.