Improvements in or relating to the production of alkylene oxide polymers

Polymers of monoepoxides are prepared by polymerizing in the presence of a catalyst comprising a compound of the formula: M[R1(R2)a(R3)b(R4)c] or MO[R1(R2)a(R3)b(R4)c] where M is titanium, vanadium or zirconium; R is an alkoxy or aryloxy radical; R2, R3 and R4 are alkoxy, aryloxy or hydrocarbon radicals or halogen atoms; a+b+c=(valency of M)-1 in the first formula and (valency of MO)-1 in the second, and a, b and c are integers or zero. The epoxides are defined as compounds of the formula: where R and R1 are each a hydrogen or a hydrocarbon radical, R11 is hydrogen or a hydrocarbon or halohydrocarbon radical, and R or R1 may be joined to R11 to form a cycloalkyl group. Examples are epichlorhydrin, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, 2,3-butylene oxide, 1,1-dimethyl ethylene oxide, cyclohexene oxide and styrene oxide. The monomers are preferably free of water and aldehydes. Copolymers, e.g. of propylene oxide with ethylene oxide or styrene oxide, are included. Specified catalysts are titanium tetra p n- and iso-butoxide, zirconium tetrabutoxide, titanium dichlorodiethoxide and chlorotriethoxide, vanadium pentabutoxide and dichlorotriethoxide, titanyl diethoxide and vanadyl triethoxide. A solvent may be present, e.g., a hydrocarbon or chlorinated hydrocarbon. Details are given of the ways the polymers may be purified.