Transition Metals and Organometallics as Catalysts for Olefin Polymerization, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1988

More than 30 years after the discovery of transition metals and organometal­ lics as catalysts for olefin polymerization these catalysts did not have lost their fascination. Since 1953 when Karl Ziegler has discovered the catalytic polymerization of ethylene leading to plastically formable polymers which are mechanically stable up to temperatures of about 100°C, synthetic polymers and rubbers have made their way right into private houses. This discovery has been a main impetus for the fast growing production of plastics. The stereoselective poly­ merization of propylene and other long-chain a-olefins first detected by Giulio Natta leads to an even broadened field of applications. Another enforcing factor were the developments of Standard Oil of Indiana and Phillipps Petroleum Company who engaged in the polymerization of a-olefins supported molybdenum, cobalt and later on chromium catalysts which clearly indicates the wide variety of suitable systems. This kind of research acknowledged merit when in 1963 the Nobel prize of chemistry was awarded to Ziegler and Natta. Although to a great extent there is a technical application for these catalysts, up to now the nature of the active centres and many reaction mechanisms are not completely known.

1. Studies of the Active Sites, and Kinetics and Mechanism in Heterogeneous Catalysts.- Kinetic Behavior During Initial Stage (less than 1 s) of Propene Polymerization with Supported Catalyst.- Activation and Stereospecific Control in Propylene Polymerization with MgCl2 Supported Ziegler-Natta Catalysts.- Isotactic Polymerization of Propene Using Living Catalysts Originally Found by Hercules Inc. — Activation, Stereospecific Control and Model of Isospecific Catalyst Centers.- Olefin Polymerizations with a Highly Active MgCl2 Supported TiCl4 Catalyst System: Comparison on the Behaviors of Propylene, Butene-1 Ethylene and Styrene Polymerizations.- Determination of the Titanium Oxidation States in a MgCl2-Supported Ziegler-Natta Catalyst (CW-Catalyst) During Aging and Polymerization.- Behavior of the Complexes of TiCl4 with Various Carboxylic Acid Esters in MgCl2-Supported High Yield Catalysts.- Distinctive Features of Olefin Polymerization on the Surface of Supports.- Recent Developments in the Determination of Active Centers in Olefin Polymerization.- Active Centers of the Supported Organic and Hydride Transition Metal Catalysts for Ethylene Polymerization.- Copolymerization of Ethylene with ?-Olefins by Highly Active Supported Catalysts of Various Composition.- Stereoelective Polymerization of Racemic ?-Olefins by Highly-Active Chirally Modified Ziegler-Natta Catalysts.- Solution NMR and FT-IR Studies on the Reactions and the Complexes of Sily1 Ethers with Triethylaluminium.- A Study of the Active Site Structures in MgCl2-Supported Ziegler-Natta Catalysts by a Stereochemical Investigation of the Initiation Step.- Ethylene Polymerization Process with a Highly Active Ziegler-Natta Catalyst — Kinetic Studies.- 2. New Aspects in the Heterogeneous Catalysts Polymerization of Olefins.- Aluminium-Filled Polyethylene. Ziegler-Natta Polymerization on Filler Surface.- Developments with High-Activity Titanium, Vanadium, and Chromium Catalysts in Ethylene Polymerization.- Surface Compounds of Transition Metals, XXXIII (1) Phillips-Like Systems and their Reaction with Olefins.- Copolymerization of Ethylene and Higher ?-Olefins with MgH2-Supported Ziegler Catalysts.- Copolymerization of Ethylene and 1-Olefins with Ziegler Catalysts under High Pressure.- On the Activation of Supported Zirconium Organic Catalysts in the Polymerization of Ethylene.- The Influence of Crystal Water on the Performance of a Ziegler-Natta Catalyst in Propylene Polymerization.- Industrial Aspects of the Production of Catalysts for Ethylene Polymerization.- The Application of X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy to Study the Titanium Environment on MgCl2-Supported Ziegler-Natta Catalysts.- Highly Active Supported Propylene Polymerization Catalysts Prepared by Activation of Supports Derived from Precomplexed Magnesium Alkyls.- Synthesis of Metal Organic Zirconium Catalysts Containing OR Ligands for Ethylene Polymerization.- 3. Homogeneous Catalysts for Olefin Polymerization.- Synthesis and Characterisation of Chiral Metallocene Cocatalysts for Stereospecific ?-Olefin Polymerisations.- Some New Results on Methyl-Aluminoxane.- Asymmetric Hydrooligomerization of Propylene.- Propylene Polymerizations with Group 4 Metallocene/Alumoxane Systems.- Isotactic Polymerization of Olefins with Homogeneous Zirconium Catalysts.- Copolymerization of Ethene and ?-Olefins with a Chiral Zirconocene/Aluminoxane Catalyst.- Newer Aspects of Active Centre Determination in Ziegler-Natta Polymerization Using 14CO Radio Tagging.- Steric Control of the Polymerization of ?-Olefins in the Presence of Achiral Titanocenes-Methylalumoxane Homogeneous Catalysts.- Possible Models for the Steric Control in the Heterogeneous High-Yield and Homogeneous Ziegler-Natta Polymerization of 1-alkenes.- Linear and Branched Polyethylenes by New Coordination Catalysts.- Olefin Dimerization with a Homogeneous Titanium Catalyst and Polymerization Studies with Sterically Hindered Aluminium Co-Catalysts — Spin-Offs in the Development of Supported Catalysts for Propylene Polymerization.- Nature of the Active Sites in Soluble Ziegler-Polymerization Catalysts Generated from Titanocene Halides and Organoaluminium Lewis Acids.- Living Polymerization of Olefins with Highly Active Vanadium Catalysts.- 4. The Influence of the Reactor Design, Polyolefin Characterization.- The Microreactor as a Model for the Description of the Ethylene Polymerization with Heterogeneous Catalysts.- Linear Low Density Polyethylene Prepared in Gas Phase with Bisupported SiO2-MgCl2 Ziegler-Natta Catalysts.- Morphological Characterization of Ziegler-Natta Catalysts and Nascent Polymers.- Transmission Electron Microscopic Observation of Nascent Polypropylene Particles Using a New Staining Method.