Certain characteristics of the polymerization of butadiene‐1,3 in presence of soluble cobalt complex catalyst

Abstract Studies were carried out on the kinetics of the process for producing 1,4‐ cis ‐polybutadiene in the presence of the catalytic system formed of monochlordiisobutylaluminum and the alcoholic complex of cobalt chloride. The experiments, carried out in homogenneous benzene solution at room temperature, pointed out the predominant role of water: when water is absent butadiene forms oligomers. Under the given conditions, the rate of polymerization of butadiene increases with the increase in the concentration of cobalt or aluminum compound and varies in a strange way when the water concentration changes. The dependence of the rate of polymerization on water concentration accounts for the difficulties in the reproductibility of experiments. The molecular weights of the polymers obtained increase linearly with the increase in water concentration and decrease with the decrease in the concentration of aluminum or cobalt compound. No dependence was noticed between the microstructure of polymers and the conditions of working.