This important work is based on the editors' symposium at the 2005 ACS meeting in Washington, DC. The contents include an emphasis on main-group polymers, including boron. The chapters are not simply journal articles, but have real added value as the editors have reviewed the general area by placing the work into a larger perspective. This book will be required reading for scientists in a number of disciplines including chemical engineers and physics researchers.

Research on metal-containing polymers began in the early 1960's when several workers found that vinyl ferrocene and other vinylic transition metal u -com plexes would undergo polymerization under the same conditions as conventional organic monomers to form high polymers which incorporated a potentially reactive metal as an integral part of the polymer structures. Some of these materials could act as semi-conducters and pos sessed one or two dimensional conductivity. Thus appli cations in electronics could be visualized immediately. Other workers found that reactions used to make simple metal chelates could be used to prepare polymers if the ligands were designed properly. As interest in homo geneous catalysts developed in the late 60's and early 70's, several investigators began binding homogeneous catalysts onto polymers, where the advantage of homo geneous catalysis - known reaction mechanisms and the advantage of heterogeneous catalysis - simplicity and ease of recovery of catalysts could both be obtained. Indeed the polymer matrix itself often enhanced the selectivity of the catalyst."

Interest in preparing new polymers peaked about 1966. Since that time, industrial and government support for the synthesis and study of new polymers has steadily declined. Gone are the good days when government funds supported a great push to attain ulti mate thermal stability for organic polymeric materials. Gone are the good days when many chemical companies, encouraged by the obvious potential for rewards, had great interest and provided support for preparing new polymers. We now often hear managers say "we have enough polymers" or "all we need to do is find additional and better ways to use existing polymers. " The latter often in cludes the statement, "we can get the new materials that are wanted from polymer alloys or blends. " Interest in preparing new monomers has also waned, even though it is well recognized that monomers with special functionality are greatly needed to fine-tune existing polymers for specific tasks. Shrinkage of interest in new monomer and polymer research has not come about solely as a result of the obvious maturity of the polymers industry. Since uses for polymers continue to grow and there is still room for good concepts to study, lack of market growth and fields of study have probably not significantly contribu ted to that shrinkage."

This important work is based on the editors symposium at the 2005 ACS meeting in Washington, DC. The contents include an emphasis on main-group polymers, including boron. The chapters are not simply journal articles, but have real added value as the editors have reviewed the general area by placing the work into a larger perspective. This book will be required reading for scientists in a number of disciplines including chemical engineers and physics researchers.