Studies in transition metal chemistry ; V. Soluble Ziegler-type catalysts based on vanadium, part 1

Experiments are described aiming at a simplification of the catalyst system originally consisting of a mixture of tetraphenyltin, aluminium bromide and vanadium tetrachloride (or vanadium oxytrichloride). It is shown that tetraphenyltin merely acts as a phenylating agent for the aluminium bromide and that only two of the four phenyl groups are available for this purpose. With regard to catalytic activity the original mixture is equivalent to mixtures of vanadium tetrachloride and excess of monoalkyl- or monoaryl-aluminium halides. Some evidence has been obtained that organic groups are part of the vanadium/aluminium complex occurring in the reaction mixtures