Process for the production of polymer or copolymer of an olefin monomer

In a process for the production of a polymer or copolymer of an olefine monomer wherein at least one olefine monomer, or a mixture of at least one olefine monomer and ethylene, is contacted, under polymerization conditions, with an olefine polymerization catalyst comprising:

• (1) a solid compound of a transition metal which is the product obtained by grinding a solid halide of a transition metal of Groups IVA to VIA of the Periodic Table in the presence of a Lewis Acid and at least one organic sulphur-containing compound of one of the formulae (A), (B) or (C), and washing the ground product with a liquid medium;
• (2) at least one organo-metallic compound of aluminum, or of a non-transition metal of Group IIA of the Periodic Table, or a complex of an organo-metallic compound of a non-transition metal of Group IA or IIA of the Periodic Table and an organo-aluminum compound;
• and
• (3) at least one organo-Lewis Base compound which is effective to alter the activity and/or stereo-specificity of the catalyst system,
• wherein
• formula (A) is ##STR11## formula (B) is ##STR12## and formula (C) is ##STR13## where X, or each X, is, independently, a halogen atom, an alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, alkylthio, or arylthio group, or a group --NR.sup.1 R.sup.2, or two groups X can together form an unsaturated hydrocarbon ring,
• Y, or each Y, is, independently, a halogen atom, an alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, alkylthio, or arylthio group, or a group --NR.sup.1 R.sup.2, or two groups Y can together form an unsaturated hydrocarbon ring;
• or a group of X and a group of Y may be replaced by a link between the two phenyl groups attached to the --SO.sub.2 -- group, the linkage being either direct or through a group --O--, --CH.sub.2 --, --NR.sup.1 --, --S--, or --CO--;
• R.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbyl group;
• R.sup.2 is a hydrocarbyl group;
• p and q are each, independently, an interger from 0 up to 5;
• Z, or each Z, is, independently, a halogen atom, an alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, alkylthio, or arylthio group, or a group --NR.sup.1 R.sup.2, or two groups Z can together form an unsaturated hydrocarbyl ring;
• R.sup.3 is a hydrocarbyl group or a group ##STR14## s is an integer from 0 up to 5;
• y is a positive integer;
• T is --S--, --O--, --NR.sup.2 --, or --CO--;
• and
• Z', or each Z', is, independently, a halogen atom, an alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, alkylthio, or arylthio group, or a group --NR.sup.1 R.sup.2 ;
• the improvement which comprises using as component (1) of the catalyst, the product obtained by adding up to 2.50 moles of aluminum chloride to the solid halide of the transition metal for each gram atom of the transition metal which is present in the solid halide of the transition metal, grinding the mixture of aluminum chloride and the solid halide of the transition metal, adding to the ground mixture from 0.01 up to 0.50 moles of titanium tetrachloride, and from 0.10 up to 2.50 moles of the organic-sulphur-containing compound, for each gram atom of the transition metal which is present in the solid halide of the transition metal, grinding the mixture thereby obtained and washing the ground product with a liquid medium capable of dissolving the at least one organic sulphur-containing compound and at least one of aluminum chloride or titanium tetrachloride or a complex of the at least one organic sulphur-containing compound and at least one of aluminum chloride or titanium tetrachloride.