Polymerizability of norbornene in ring‐opening metathesis polymerization initiated by Mo‐based complexes

Concerning the study on the relation between structural parameters and reactivity in ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of cyclo‐olefins, the “living” polymerization of norbornene initiated by Schrock's‐type complexes was considered as a reference and studied from the kinetic point of view. First kinetic orders with respect to both monomer and active species allow the values of absolute rate constants of propagation to be determined. The thermodynamic parameters obtained from kinetic experiments performed at different temperatures seem to indicate that monomer coordination and metallacycle formation are rate‐determining steps in the process studied.