FIELD: chemistry.
SUBSTANCE: described is a method of producing polydiene, which comprises a step of: polymerising a conjugated diene monomer using a lanthanide-based catalyst system, which includes a combination or a product of reacting (a) a lanthanide compound, (b) an alkylating agent, (c) a halogen-containing compound and (d) dihydrocarbyl ether, where (a) the lanthanide compound, (b) alkylating agent, (c) halogen-containing compound and (d) dihydrocarbyl ether are combined directly or separately with the diene monomer, and where said polymerisation step takes place in a polymerisation mixture containing less than 20 wt % solvent per total weight of the polymerisation mixture, and where the dihydrocarbyl ether is described by the formula R-O-R, where each R is independently a hydrocarbyl group or a substituted hydrocarbyl group selected from a group consisting of an alkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl and benzyl groups. Also described is a method of producing polydiene, which comprises a step of: combining the (a) conjugated diene monomer, (b) lanthanide compound, (c) alkylating agent, (d) halogen-containing compound and (e) dihydrocarbyl ether, where said combination step forms a polymerisation mixture containing less than 20 wt % solvent per total weight of the polymerisation mixture, and where the dihydrocarbyl ether is described by the formula R-O-R, where each R is independently a hydrocarbyl group or a substituted hydrocarbyl group selected from a group consisting of an alkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, alkenyl and cycloalkenyl groups.
EFFECT: obtaining cis-1,4-polydienes that are characterised by high content of cis-1,4-links in a bulk polymerisation system.
14 cl, 9 ex, 1 tbl
