At the start of the 1950s, Ziegler and Natta discovered that simple metallorganic catalysts are capable of transforming olefins into linear polymers with highly ordered structures. This pioneering discovery was recognized with a Nobel Prize in 1963. In the 80s and 90s, the development of molecular defined metallocenes led to a renaissance for non-polar polyolefin materials. Designer catalysts allowed a greater precision in defining properties of the material. The past 10 years have seen the discovery of new catalysts based on late transition metals, which allow the combination of polar monomers with non-polar olefins and thus lead to innovative materials. Here, the world's leading authors from industry and academia describe the latest developments in this fascinating field for the first time in such comprehensive detail. In so doing, they introduce readers systematically to the basic principles and show how these new catalysts can effectively be used for polymerization reactions. This makes the book an ideal and indispensable reference for specialists, advanced students, and scientists of various disciplines dealing with research into catalysts and materials science.

Transition metal catalysis belongs to the most important chemical research areas because a ubiquitous number of chemical reactions are catalyzed by transition metal compounds. Many efforts are being made by industry and academia to find new and more efficient catalysts for chemical processes. Transition metals play a prominent role in catalytic research because they have been proven to show an enormous diversity in lowering the activation barrier for chemical reactions. For many years, the search for new catalysts was carried out by trial and error, which was costly and time consuming. The understanding of the mechanism of the catalytic process is often not very advanced because it is difficult to study the elementary steps of the catalysis with experimental techniques. The development of modern quantum chemical methods for calculating possible intermediates and transition states was a breakthrough in gaining an understanding of the reaction pathways of transition metal catalyzed reactions. This volume, organized into eight chapters written by leading scientists in the field, illustrates the progress made during the last decade. The reader will obtain a deep insight into the present state of quantum chemical research in transition metal catalysis.

A one-stop resource for understanding and applying polymerization catalysts An edited volume featuring contributions from leading researchers, the Handbook of Transition Metal Polymerization Catalysts covers the design and synthesis of catalysts, and their applications in synthesis of polymers. Dealing with those polymerization catalysts that afford commercially acceptable yields of polymer with respect to catalyst mass and promising newer catalysts, this practical reference provides polymer and organic chemists with a comprehensive overview of the known methods for developing and applying these important catalysts. With both recent advances and historically important catalysts, the subjects covered in this text include: Metal alkyls and other compounds that function as co-catalysts with a large number of catalysts The varieties of porous silica either necessary or valuable in certain catalyst formulations Catalyst scale-up and commercialization Copper catalysts for olefin polymerization Morphology control Along with the above topics, the Handbook of Transition Metal Polymerization Catalysts provides tables of valuable data to assist in reproducing a synthesis or applying the knowledge to a new problem. Polymerization reactivities, polymer properties, monomer and solvent purity requirements, molecular weights, distribution, and reactivity ratios are also covered. The Handbook of Transition Metal Polymerization Catalysts offers an excellent one-stop resource for understanding and applying polymerization catalysts.

Catalysis underpins most modern industrial organic processes. It has become an essential tool in creating a 'greener' chemical industry by replacing more traditional stoichiometric reactions, which have high energy consumption and high waste production, with mild processes which increasingly resemble Nature's enzymes. Metal-Catalysis in Industrial Organic Processes considers the major areas of the field and discusses the logic of using catalysis in industrial processes. The book provides information on oxidation, hydrogenation, carbonylation, C-C bond formation, metathesis and polymerization processes, as well as on the mechanisms involved. In addition two appendices offer a concise treatment of homogeneous and heterogenous catalysis. Numerous exercises referring to problems of catalytic processes, and research perspectives complete the book. This definitive reference source, written by practising experts in the field, provides detailed and up-to-date information on key aspects of metal catalysis.

Polyolefin is a major industry that is important for our economy and impacts every aspect of our lives. The discovery of new transition metal-based catalysts is one of the driving forces for the further advancement of this field. Whereas the classical heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalysts and homogeneous early transition metal metallocene catalysts remain the workhorses of the polyolefin industry, in roughly the last decade, tremendous progress has been made in developing non-metallocene-based olefin polymerization catalysts. Particularly, the discovery of late transition metal-based olefin polymerization catalysts heralds a new era for this field. These late transition metal complexes not only exhibit high activities rivaling their early metal counterparts, but more importantly they offer unique properties for polymer architectural control and copolymerization with polar olefins. In this book, the most recent major breakthroughs in the development of new olefin polymerization catalysts, including early metal metallocene and non-metallocene complexes and late transition metal complexes, are discussed by leading experts. The authors highlight the most important discoveries in catalysts and their applications in designing new polyolefin-based functional materials.

New synthetic techniques allow chemists to modify polymer microstructures more precisely than ever, making it possible to design materials that meet increasingly demanding performance requirements. Written and edited by experts in the field, Stereoselective Polymerization with Single-Site Catalysts reviews how the relative stereochemistry of

This compilation provides advanced graduate students and researchers with a structured overview of olefin polymerization. Divided into eight chapters written by international experts, this book covers polymerization using various organotransition-metal catalysts, including early and late transition metal complexes, new trends in olefin oligomerization and related reactions. All authors address the historic and scientific backgrounds of the field as well as current research progress and potential for further research. The complete book is designed to present eight independent lectures and, because all authors are well versed in organometallic chemistry, each is based on a profound understanding of the reactions and structures of organotransition metal complexes. This book is an ideal accompaniment for researchers taking courses in olefin polymerization and also serves as a valuable resource for teachers and lecturers of chemistry when planning and researching material for advanced lecture courses.

A much-needed overview of the state of the art of hyperbranched polymers The last two decades have seen a surge of interest in hyperbranched polymers due to their ease of synthesis on a large scale and their promising applications in diverse fields, from medicine to nanotechnology. Written by leading scientists in academia and industry, this book provides for the first time a comprehensive overview of the topic, bringing together in one complete volume a wealth of information previously available only in articles scattered across the literature. Drawing on their work at the cutting edge of this dynamic area of research, the authors cover everything readers need to know about hyperbranched polymers when designing highly functional materials. Clear, thorough discussions include: How irregular branching affects polymer properties and their potential applications Important theoretical basics, plus a useful summary of characterization techniques How hyperbranched polymers compare with dendrimers as well as linear polymers Future trends in the synthesis and application of hyperbranched polymers Geared to novices and experts alike, Hyperbranched Polymers is a must-have resource for anyone working in polymer architectures, polymer engineering, and functional materials. It is also useful for scientists in related fields who need a primer on the synthesis, theory, and applications of hyperbranched polymers.

During the past 30 years, the field of alkene polymerization over transition metal catalysts underwent several major changes:1. The list of commercial heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalysts for the synthesis of polyethylene and stereoregular polyolefins was completely renewed affording an unprecedented degree of control over the polymer structure.2. Research devoted to metallocene and other soluble transition-metal catalysis has vastly expanded and has shifted toward complexes of transition metals with multidentate ligands.3. Recent developments in gel permeation chromatography, temperature-rising fractionation, and crystallization fractionation provided the first reliable information about differences between various active centers in transition-metal catalysts.4. A rapid development of high-resolution 13C NMR spectroscopy resulted in greatly expanded understanding of the chemical and steric features of polyolefins and alkene copolymers. These developments require a new review of all aspects of alkene polymerization reactions with transition-metal catalysts. The first chapter in the book is an introductory text for researchers who are entering the field. It describes the basic principles of polymerization reactions with transition-metal catalysts, the types of catalysts, and commercially manufactured polyolefins. The next chapter addresses the principal issue of alkene polymerization catalysis: the existence of catalyst systems with single and multiple types of active centers. The subsequent chapters are devoted to chemistry and stereochemistry of elemental reaction steps, structures of catalyst precursors and reactions leading to the formation of active centers, kinetics of polymerization reactions, and their mechanisms.The book describes the latest commercial polymerization catalysts for the synthesis of polyethylenes and polypropylene The book provides a detailed description of the multi-center nature of commercial Ziegler-Natta catalysts. The book devotes specialized chapters to the most important aspects of transition metal polymerization catalysts: the reactions leading to the formation of active centers, the chemistry and stereochemistry of elemental polymerization steps, reaction kinetics, and the polymerization mechanism. The book contains an introductory chapter for researchers who are entering the field of polymerization catalysis. It describes the basic principles of polymerization reactions with transition-metal catalysts and the types of commercially manufactured polyolefins and copolymersThe book contains over 2000 references, the most recent up to end of 2006.

This book highlights key advances that have occurred in the field of olefin conversion in recent years. The role of homogenous transition metal catalysts which contain an imine functionality is emphasized; their potential applications in the processing and upgrade of olefins to a wide variety of commodity products of very high industrial value is also explored. On the threshold of the fiftieth anniversary of the Noble Prize to Ziegler and Natta, this book gives a critical summary of the state of the art developments in the fascinating and rapidly developing field of the olefin polymerization, oligomerization, and co-polymerization catalysis.