Oxidation of trialkylaluminum in the presence of aluminum trialkoxide

An aluminium trialkoxide is prepared by reacting a trialkylaluminium with a gas containing molecular oxygen until substantially all of the trialkylaluminium has been converted to an alkyl aluminium dialkoxide, then adding to the reaction mixture from 0.25 to 2 moles of an aluminium trialkoxide per mole of alkyl aluminium dialkoxide, and reacting the resulting mixture with an additional quantity of oxygen-containing gas until all of the alkyl aluminium dialkoxide has been oxidised to aluminium trialkoxide. The alkyl groups of the added aluminium trialkoxide may be the same or different from those present in the alkyl aluminium dioxide. The trialkylaluminiums used as starting materials preferably have alkyl groups containing up to 20 carbon atoms. Suitable conditions for carrying out the process are temperatures from -10 DEG C. to 60 DEG C. and partial pressures of oxygen from 1 to 30 p.s.i.