PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF A LINEAR ALTERNATING COPOLYMER OF CARBON MONOXIDE WITH ETHENE AND ANOTHER OLEFINICALLY UNSATURATED COMPOUND

摘要

A process for the preparation of a linear alternating copolymer of carbon monoxide with ethene and another olefinically unsaturated compound (A) wherein a copolymer of which the molar ratio (r1) of the monomer units originating in the olefinically unsaturated compound A to the monomer units originating in ethene is in the range of from 1:100 to 1:3, is prepared by contacting the monomers in the presence of a liquid diluent with a catalyst composition which is based on (a) a source of a Group VIII metal, and (b) a bidentate ligand of the general formula R1R2M1-R-M2R3R4 (I) wherein M1 and M2 independently represent a phosphorus, arsenic or antimony atom, R1, R2, R3 and R4 independently represent unsubstituted or substituted aryl groups and R represents a bivalent bridging group which consists of three atoms in the bridge of which the middle atom is a tetravalent atom which carries two monovalent substituents R5 and R6 consisting of carbon, hydrogen and optionally oxygen, and the two outer bridging atoms are carbon atoms, while the quotient r2/r1 is less than 24, in which quotient r1 is as defined hereinbefore and r2 is the molar ratio of the olefinically unsaturated compound A to ethene in the liquid phase.