Improvements in and relating to the production of alkylene oxide polymers

Alkylene oxides (which may be substituted by an aromatic radical), epichlorohydrin or cycloaliphatic epoxy compounds are polymerized in contact with a catalyst of general formula MeRx(O )y in which Me represents aluminium, magnesium or zinc, R is a hydrocarbon radical, is an aryl or substituted aryl and x and y are integers where (x + y) is the valancy of the metal Me. Epoxy compounds specified are ethylene oxide, 1, 2-propylene oxide, butene oxide, styrene oxide and cyclohexene oxide. Catalysts exemplified are aluminium diethyl phenoxide and aluminium ethyl diphenoxide. The reaction may be carried out at pressures up to 40 atmospheres, at temperatures from 0 DEG to 300 DEG C. and in the absence or presence of a solvent, e.g. an aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon such as benzene, a chlorinated hydrocarbon or an ether such as diethyl ether. The polymers may be used as thickening agents and those prepared from ethylene oxide may be processed into thin water-soluble films.ALSO:Low molecular weight cyclic polymers of ethylene oxide, e.g dioxane and the tetramer: which are valuable as high boiling neutral solvents, are obtained by polymerising ethylene oxide in contact with a catalyst of general formula MeRx(O#f)y where Me represents aluminium, magnesium or zinc, R is a hydrocarbon radical, #f is aryl or substituted aryl and x and y are integers, (x + y) being the valency of the metal Me. Catalysts exemplified are aluminium diethyl phenoxide and aluminium ethyl diphenoxide. The reaction usually takes place in a solvent which may be an aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon e.g. benzene, a chlorinated hydrocarbon or an ether e.g. diethyl ether. Reaction temperatures up to 100 DEG C. are preferred in order to obtain the low molecular weight cyclic polymers rather than the high molecular weight polymers.