Problems of unit variability in metal-containing polymers

The main types of unit variability in metal-containing polymers, including those typical of traditional polymers and those peculiar only to polymers with metal-containing groups, are surveyed and classified. The methods for controlling unit variability and the possibility of taking it into account and using it for practical purposes are analyzed. The main problems in this field and the prospects for their solution are considered. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2403–2420, December, 1998.