Process for the polymerisation of cyclooctadiene

Claim 1

A process for producing polyoctadienamers having 20 to 85 percent of the double bonds in the transconfiguration which comprises polymerizing cyclooctadiene-(1,5) in the presence of a catalyst comprising: a. a tungsten salt; b. at least one member selected from the group consisting of i. a halo alcohol of the formula ##EQU3## wherein X is chlorine, bromine or iodine; R 1 and R 2 , when taken separately, are the same or different and are each selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, aryl having 6 to 10 carbon atoms and alkaryl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety and 6 to 10 carbon atoms in the aryl moiety; R 3 and R 4 may be the same or different and are each selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, iodine, hydrogen, alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, aryl having 6 to 10 carbon atoms and alkaryl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety and having 6 to 10 carbon atoms in the aryl moiety, and R 1 and R 2 , when taken together with the carbon atoms to which they are attached, form a hydrocarbon ring containing at least 5 carbon atoms; ii. an epoxide of the formula ##EQU4## wherein R 5 is hydrogen, alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, aryl having 6 to 10 carbon atoms or alkaryl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety and having 6 to 10 carbon atoms in the aryl moiety; and R 6 is hydrogen, alkyl, chloroaklyl, bromoalkyl or iodoalkyl, each having 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety, aryl having 6 to 10 carbon atoms or aralkyl having 6 to 10 carbon atoms in the aryl moiety and having 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety; and iii. a halo phenol of the formula ##SPC2## wherein X is aforesaid, R is alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, aryl having 6 to 10 carbon atoms or a condensed aromatic group, and n is an integer of from 1 to 4; c. an aluminum organic compound, an aluminum halide or a mixture thereof, said catalyst containing 0.05 to 10 mmol of tungsten per 100 gm of cyclooctadiene-(1,5), 1 to 6 mols of (b) per mol of tungsten and 0.05 to 30 mol of (c) per mol of tungsten.