OPTICALLY-ACTIVE POLYMERS VIA RING-OPENING METATHESIS POLYMERIZATION .1. POLYMERS FROM ENANTIOMERICALLY PURE 2-ACYLOXYBICYCLO[2.2.1]HEPT-5-ENES

The ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of enantiomerically pure 2-substituted norbornenes carried out with Mo(CH-t-Bu)(NAr)(O-t-B u)2 in chlorobenzene or with K2[RuCl5(H2O)] in aqueous solvents leads to polymers that show optical activity. The increasing specific rotati ons of the polymers from acetate to butyrate to benzoate with both cat alysts is explained by increasing substituent group size.