MCM‐41‐Immobilized [Rh(cod)OCH3]2 Complex – A Hybrid Catalyst for the Polymerization of Phenylacetylene and Its Ring‐Substituted Derivatives

The immobilization of Rh(cod)OCH₃]₂ (cod = cycloocta‐1,5‐diene) on mesoporous molecular sieves MCM‐41 provides the first inorganic‐type hybrid catalyst, which affords heterogeneous polymerization of phenylacetylene and its ring‐substituted derivatives, – 2‐fluorophenylacetylene, 4‐fluorophenylacetylene, and 4‐pentylphenylacetylene – into readily isolable high‐molecular‐weight (M?_w from 50 000 to 180 000) substituted polyvinylenes of high cis‐transoid structure. The activity of this catalyst is compared with that of homogeneous catalyst Rh(cod)OCH₃]₂.