Catalytic olefin polymerization history

History and basic principles of catalytic olefin polymerization 899... 

The history and early developments in the pioneering work of polymers up to the most recent advancements are covered. Olefin polymerization started about 100 years back without involvement of metals, following anionic or radical pathways. The contemporary olefin polymerization industry depends mainly on the use of metal complexes as catalysts. At the present time, metal-catalyzed polymerization represents the most successful, conceivable, and sustainable procedure toward the synthesis of polyolefins. Nowadays, the list of metals includes several transition metals in the generation of catalysts. In doing their catalytic role, they foUow various mechanisms that lead to a wide range of polymeric products. 

Metal alkoxides have promising role in catalytic reactions. In this chapter, we briefly review the history, chciracteristics, cuid synthesis routes of metal alkoxide and then discuss some catalytic processes that are performed with them. These processes include polymerization of different olefin oxides and cyclic esters asymmetric reduction of aldehydes and ketones oxidation of sulfides and olefins and a variety of other asymmetric reactions. The rest of the chapter discusses the characteristics of these catalytic systems from different points of view. 

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