"Catalysis is more art than science", probably all of you have heard and even used this expression. Whether it is true or not, it alludes to the experience that new catalysts are hard to find, and near impossible to predict. Hard work and a lifetime of experience is invaluable. However, a keen mind might give insight into where to search, but not necessarily about where to find the answers. Historically, "quantum leaps" have often arisen from serendipity - we all know the story about the nickel-contaminated reactor that triggered further research towards the first coordination catalyst for ethene polymerization. Taking advan tage of this event, Karl Ziegler became the first chemist to earn both a Nobel prize and a fortune for the same invention. A broken NMR tube helped Walter Kaminsky discover the effect of high concentrations of methylaluminoxanes as co catalysts for metallocenes. When air reacted with the concentrated trim ethyl aluminum solution, sufficient amounts of methylaluminoxanes were formed, and the lazy catalyst dormant in the NMR tube suddenly became sensationally active. Ziegler and Kaminsky were lucky and had the genius needed to take advantage of their luck.

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.

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.

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.

With an enormous velocity, olefin polymerization has expanded to one of the most significant fields in polymers since the first industrial use about 50 years ago. In 2005, 100 million tons of polyolefins were produced - the biggest part was catalyzed by metallorganic compounds. The Hamburg Macromolecular Symposium 2005 with the title "Olefin Polymerization" involved topics such as new catalysts and cocatalysts, kinetics, mechanism and polymer reaction engineering, synthesis of special polymers, and characterization of polyolefins. The conference combined scientists from different disciplines to discuss latest research results of polymers and to offer each other the possibility of cooperation. This is reflected in this volume, which contains invited lectures and selected posters presented at the symposium.

The discoveries of organometallic catalysts for olefin polymerization by Karl Ziegler and that of stereoregular olefin polymers by Giulio Natta are probably the two most important achievements in the areas of catalysis and polymer chemistry in the second half of this century. They led to the development of a new branch of chemical industry, and to a large volume production of high-density and linear low-density polyethylene, isotactic polypropylene, ethylene-propylene rubbers, isotactic poly I-butene, and poly-4-methyl-l-pentene. These discoveries merited the Nobel prize, which was awarded to K. Ziegler and G. Natta in 1963. The initial works of Ziegler and Natta were followed by an "explosion" of scientific papers and patents covering all aspects of polymerization chemistry, catalyst synthesis, and polymerization kinetics as well as the structural, chemical, physical, and technological characteristics of stereo regular polyolefins, polydienes, and olefin copolymers. It is sufficient to say that in the twenty-five years after the first publications more than 15,000 papers and patents appeared on subjects related to the area. . The development brought about the establishment of several prominent groups of scientists occupied with the study of olefin polymerization. The most important of these were scientific schools in Italy, Germany, England, the United States, Japan, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and Venezuela. In addition, many major chemical and petrochemical corporations throughout the world established labora tories devoted to the development of the technology of catalyst synthesis and olefin polymerization.