before you commit yourself to a stereospecific catalyst investigate
new Lithium Butyl 1. First off, lithium butyl is not new. What is new is its commercial availability in a solvent rather than an ether vehicle. Highly stable, it can be stored at room temperature for indefinite periods without deterioration. And you can handle it just as freely under nitrogen as u n der argon or helium.
2. Lithium butyl is a single component catalyst of known composition with homogeneous reaction mechanism. Compared with conventional heterogeneous catalysts of uncertain composition, lithium butyl permits more accurate predictions of final polymer performance . . . makes controls easier to establish and hold· 3. The a m o u n t of l i t h i u m derived catalyst required in ordered isoprene polymerization is extremely small· Possibly less than 0.01% of the isoprene. And the a m o u n t of the catalyst remaining in the polymer is even s m a l l e r . . . of the order of parts per million. Thus, despite its relatively high price, l i t h i u m contributes very little to the cost of the product. It may actually reduce the
cost by permitting economical s i m plification of post polymerization treatment of the polymer.
1er type catalysts. An excellent yield of C/J-1,4 polybutadiene has been reported as resulting from such a substitution.
4. Little definitive information has been published as to the merits of various catalyst systems in natural rubber synthesis. Both Ziegler and lithium catalyzed rubber show approximately the same percentage of m-1,4 isomer. But there is one product difference. Lithium catalyzed polyisoprene has a higher molecular weight than either Ziegler types or natural hevea rubber. Ultimately, the efficiency of the catalyst may depend more on the purity of the monomer than on any other single factor.
7. The commercial future of Foote's new l i t h i u m butyl preparation seems assured. Its potential in ordered polymerization has been established. And numerous research projects are focusing on it as an intermediate. If you'd like to renew your a c q u a i n t a n c e w i t h l i t h i u m butyl, just return the coupon, checking your specific interest.
5. Participants in the 1958 Gordon Research Conference on polymers clearly stated the need for efficient, soluble, stereospecific catalysts i n large quantities. Lithium butyl satisfies all of these needs.
FOOTE MINERAL COMPANY 418 Eighteen West Chelten Bldg. Philadelphia 44, Pennsylvania Gentlemen: Please send me the following checked monographs: • #100—Catalytic Lithium • #101—Lithium in Organic Chemistry • #103—Lithium Butyl • #104—Catalytic Lithium in Polymerization Plus information on • sample quantities • commercial quantities Name. Company.
6. Lithium butyl has been suggested as a substitute for aluminum alkyls in Zieg-
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