Patents by Inventor Donald F. Birkelbach

Donald F. Birkelbach has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 4451626
    Abstract: Alpha olefins are polymerized in the presence of catalyst compositions which are the catalytic reaction products of (A) the reaction product or complex resulting from the mixing of (1) a mixture of a transition metal compound such as a tetraalkoxy titanium compound, a non-metallic oxygen-containing compound such as an alcohol and (2) a reducing alkylating agent such as a dialkyl magnesium compound and (B) a magnesium halide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 29, 1984
    Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company
    Inventors: Randall S. Shipley, Donald F. Birkelbach
  • Patent number: 4409126
    Abstract: Compositions consisting of the reaction product or complex resulting from the mixing of a transition metal compound such as a tetraalkoxy titanium compound and an organo compound of magnesium, aluminum, boron or lithium such as a dialkyl magnesium compound are useful in the preparation of catalysts for polymerizing .alpha.-olefins at ultra-high efficiencies at high polymerization temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1981
    Date of Patent: October 11, 1983
    Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company
    Inventors: Randall S. Shipley, Donald F. Birkelbach
  • Patent number: 4399053
    Abstract: Compositions exhibiting high catalytic activity in the polymerization of .alpha.-olefins are prepared by reacting trivalent or tetravalent titanium compounds such as titanium tetraalkoxides, zirconium compounds such as tri-n-butoxy zirconium chloride, an organomagnesium component such as di-n-hexyl magnesium, a halogen source such as ethyl aluminum dichloride, a divalent zinc compound such as diethyl zinc and an organoaluminum compound if the halide source or magnesium component does not contain sufficient quantities of aluminum. Polymerization processes employing this catalyst composition do not require conventional catalyst removal steps in order to provide polymers having suitable color and other physical characteristics and these catalysts produce polymers having broader molecular weight distributions and lower melt indices than do corresponding catalysts without both the divalent zinc and zirconium compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1980
    Date of Patent: August 16, 1983
    Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company
    Inventors: Randall S. Shipley, Donald F. Birkelbach, Kirby Lowery, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4380508
    Abstract: Compositions consisting of the reaction product or complex resulting from the mixing of (1) a mixture of a transition metal compound such as a tetraalkoxy titanium compound with a non-metallic oxygen-containing compound such as an alcohol and (2) a strongly reducing alkylating agent such as a dialkyl magnesium compound are useful in the preparation of catalysts for polymerizing .alpha.-olefins at ultra-high efficiencies at high polymerization temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1981
    Date of Patent: April 19, 1983
    Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company
    Inventors: Randall S. Shipley, Donald F. Birkelbach
  • Patent number: 4323665
    Abstract: .alpha.-Olfins, particularly higher olefins, are polymerized in the presence of a catalyst prepared by reacting (A) tetravalent tianium compounds such as titanium tetraalkoxide, (B) an organoaluminum compound, (C) an organomagnesium component such as a hydrocarbon soluble complex of dialkyl magnesium and an organoaluminum compound such as triethyl aluminum and, (D) as a halide source, a tetravalent tin compound such as tin tetrachloride. Polymers prepared by this process provide higher efficiencies than polymers prepared from a process utilizing catalysts employing HCl as the halide source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1980
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1982
    Assignee: The Dow Chemical Co.
    Inventors: Kirby Lowery, Jr., Donald F. Birkelbach, Randall S. Shipley
  • Patent number: 4308369
    Abstract: Olefins are polymerized in the presence of a catalyst prepared by reacting tetravalent titanium compounds such as a titanium tetraalkoxide, an anhydrous zinc compound such as diethyl zinc, an organomagnesium component such as a hydrocarbon soluble complex of dialkyl magnesium and an alkyl aluminum and a halide source such as a hydrogen halide or an alkyl aluminum halide and an aluminum compound if the halide source or organomagnesium component does not contain sufficient quantities of aluminum. Polymerization processes employing this catalyst composition do not require conventional catalyst removal steps in order to provide polymers having suitable color and other physical characteristics and these catalysts produce polymers having broader molecular weight distributions than do corresponding catalysts without the anhydrous zinc compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1980
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1981
    Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company
    Inventors: Randall S. Shipley, Donald F. Birkelbach, Kirby Lowery, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4243785
    Abstract: .alpha.-Olefins are polymerized by conducting the polymerization in the presence of a catalyst prepared by reacting tetravalent or trivalent titanium compounds such as a titanium tetralkoxide, an anhydrous nickel compound such as nickel chloride, an organomagnesium component such as a hydrocarbon soluble complex of dialkyl magnesium and an alkyl aluminum and a halide source such as a hydrogen halide or an alkyl aluminum halide. Polymerization processes employing this catalyst composition do not require conventional catalyst removal steps in order to provide polymers having suitable color and other physical characteristics and these catalysts produce polymers having broader molecular weight distributions than do corresponding catalysts without the anhydrous nickel compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1978
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1981
    Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company
    Inventors: Donald F. Birkelbach, George W. Knight
  • Patent number: 4238355
    Abstract: Compositions exhibiting high catalytic activity in the polymerization of .alpha.-olefins, particularly higher olefins, are prepared by reacting tetravalent or trivalent titanium compounds such as a titanium tetraalkoxide, an anhydrous zinc compound such as diethyl zinc, an organomagnesium component such as a hydrocarbon soluble complex of dialkyl magnesium and an alkyl aluminum and a halide source such as a hydrogen halide or an alkyl aluminum halide and an aluminum compound if the halide source of organomagnesium component does not contain sufficient quantities of aluminum. Polymerization processes employing this catalyst composition do not require conventional catalyst removal steps in order to provide polymers having suitable color and other physical characteristics and these catalysts produce polymers having broader molecular weight distributions than do corresponding catalysts without the anhydrous zinc compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1980
    Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company
    Inventors: Randall S. Shipley, Donald F. Birkelbach, Kirby Lowery, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4224186
    Abstract: Compositions exhibiting high catalytic activity in the polymerization of .alpha.-olefins, particularly higher olefins, are prepared by reacting (A) tetravalent titanium compounds such as titanium tetraalkoxide, (B) an organoaluminum compound, (C) an organomagnesium component such as a hydrocarbon soluble complex of dialkyl magnesium and an organo aluminum compound such as triethyl aluminum and, (D) as a halide source, a tetravalent tin compound such as tin tetrachloride. Polymerization processes employing this catalyst composition do not require conventional catalyst removal steps in order to provide polymers having suitable color and other physical characteristics and these catalysts provide higher efficiencies than those catalysts employing HCl as the halide source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1979
    Date of Patent: September 23, 1980
    Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company
    Inventors: Kirby Lowery, Jr., Donald F. Birkelbach, Randall S. Shipley
  • Patent number: 4198315
    Abstract: Compositions exhibiting high catalytic activity in the polymerization of .alpha.-olefins, particularly higher olefins, are prepared by reacting tetravalent or trivalent titanium compounds such as a titanium tetralkoxide, an anhydrous nickel compound such as nickel chloride, an organomagnesium component such as a hydrocarbon soluble complex of dialkyl magnesium and an alkyl aluminum and a halide source such as a hydrogen halide or an alkyl aluminum halide. Polymerization processes employing this catalyst composition do not require conventional catalyst removal steps in order to provide polymers having suitable color and other physical characteristics and these catalysts produce polymers having broader molecular weight distributions than do corresponding catalysts without the anhydrous nickel compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1978
    Date of Patent: April 15, 1980
    Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company
    Inventors: Donald F. Birkelbach, George W. Knight
  • Patent number: 4189553
    Abstract: Compositions exhibiting high catalytic activity in the polymerization of .alpha.-olefins, particularly higher olefins, are provided by reacting a trivalent titanium halide complex such as an alcohol complex of titanium trichloride, an organomagnesium component such as a hydrocarbon soluble complex of dialkyl magnesium and an alkyl aluminum and halide source such as a hydrogen halide or an alkyl aluminum halide. Polymerization processes employing this catalyst composition do not require conventional catalyst removal steps in order to provide polymers having suitable color and other physical characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1978
    Date of Patent: February 19, 1980
    Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company
    Inventor: Donald F. Birkelbach
  • Patent number: 4120820
    Abstract: Compositions exhibiting high catalytic activity in the polymerization of .alpha.-olefins, particularly higher olefins, are provided by reacting a trivalent titanium halide complex such as an alcohol complex of titanium trichloride, an organomagnesium component such as a hydrocarbon soluble complex of dialkyl magnesium and an alkyl aluminum and halide source such as a hydrogen halide or an alkyl aluminum halide. Polymerization processes employing this catalyst composition do not require conventional catalyst removal steps in order to provide polymers having suitable color and other physical characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1976
    Date of Patent: October 17, 1978
    Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company
    Inventor: Donald F. Birkelbach