Give an example of coordination polymerization. Name the chemists responsible for the discovery of this method of polymerization.

Short Answer

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An example of coordination polymerization is the production of polyethylene from ethylene using a transition metal catalyst, specifically the Ziegler-Natta catalyst. The overall reaction can be represented as: \[n C_2H_4 \rightarrow [-CH_2-CH_2-]_n\] The chemists responsible for the discovery of this method of polymerization are Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta.

Step by step solution

01

Example of Coordination Polymerization

Coordination polymerization is a type of polymerization process that involves the formation of polymers through the coordination of monomer units and catalysts. An important example of coordination polymerization is the production of polyethylene from ethylene using a transition metal catalyst, specifically the Ziegler-Natta catalyst.
02

Chemical Reaction Involved

The Ziegler-Natta catalyst promotes the formation of polyethylene (PE) from ethylene (\(C_2H_4\)). The overall reaction can be represented as: \[n C_2H_4 \rightarrow [-CH_2-CH_2-]_n\] Where n is the number of repeating units in the polymer chain.
03

Name the Chemists Responsible for the Discovery

Coordination polymerization, specifically the discovery of the Ziegler-Natta catalyst, can be attributed to two chemists: Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta. Karl Ziegler discovered the transition metal catalysts that could be used for the polymerization of ethylene in 1953. Giulio Natta discovered the stereospecific polymerization process of other olefins using similar catalysts in 1954.

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