ERIC Number: EJ1014555
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-May
Pages: 3
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Illustrating Catalysis with Interlocking Building Blocks: Correlation between Structure of a Metallocene Catalyst and the Stereoregularity of Polypropylene
Horikoshi, Ryo; Kobayashi, Yoji; Kageyama, Hiroshi
Journal of Chemical Education, v90 n5 p620-622 May 2013
Catalysis with transition-metal complexes is a part of the inorganic chemistry curriculum and a challenging topic for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students. A hands-on teaching aid has been developed for use during conventional lectures to help students understand these catalytic reactions. A unique method of illustrating the coordination polymerization of propylene with interlocking building blocks is described. Three metallocene block models mimicking real catalysts recognize top and bottom faces of a prochiral propylene monomer block model and subsequently provide three polypropylene structures with different tacticity. The monomer recognition processes of the metallocene block models are based on steric hindrance, similar to those of the real catalysts. (Contains 4 figures.)
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Inorganic Chemistry, Hands on Science, Scientific Concepts, Metallurgy, Molecular Structure, Plastics, College Science
Division of Chemical Education, Inc and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A