A continuous process for producing conjugated diene polymers comprising the steps
of contacting, within an hydrocarbon solvent and within a continuous reactor, conjugated
diene monomer and a catalyst composition prepared by combining: (a) a lanthanide
compound, (b) an alkylating agent, and (c) a halogen-containing compound, and maintaining
a non-ideal flow pattern within the continuous reactor so that 10% of the reagents
entering the reactor at a reference time t0 are still present within
the continuous reactor at a time t0+xtrt, where trt
is the residence time corresponding to ideal flow within the continuous reactor
and x is a numeral greater than 1.5.
