Types of Metal Alkyls Investigated

As shown above, the first commercial Ziegler catalyst for the manufacture of polyethylene utilized triethyl aluminum (TEAL). However, early research involved extensive examination of various types of other metal alkyls that were used with titanium tetrachloride to promote ethylene polymerization. Some of these catalyst systems are summarized in Table 2.2. 

3 Soluble Titanium-Based Complexes for Ethylene Polymerization (1955-1960) 

A wide variety of titanium-containing compounds as well as other transition metal compoimds were examined in the period immediately following Zieglers initial catalyst discovery based on TiCl and Al(C2H5)3, which is a heterogeneous catalyst system. 

David Breslow of the Hercules Research Center recognized in the mid-1950s that efforts to identify a homogeneous ethylene polymerization catalyst system would be an important step in understanding the nature of 

The presence of two ethyl groups in the proposed structure was verified by the elimination of two moles of ethane gas by addition of an alcohol to the blue solution containing this complex. 

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