With sustainability at the forefront of current polymerisation research, the typically earth-abundant, inexpensive and low-toxicity main group metals are attractive candidates for catalysis. Main group metals have been exploited in a broad range of polymerisations, ranging from classical alkene polymerisation to the synthesis of new bio-derived and degradable polyesters and polycarbonates via ring-opening polymerisation and ring-opening copolymerisation. This tutorial review highlights efficient polymerisation catalysts based on Group 1, Group 2, Zn and Group 13 metals. Key mechanistic pathways and catalyst developments are discussed, including tailored ligand design, heterometallic cooperativity, bicomponent systems and careful selection of the polymerisation conditions, all of which can be used to fine-tune the metal Lewis acidity and the metal–alkyl bond polarity.

中文翻译：

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主族金属聚合催化剂

由于可持续性处于当前聚合研究的前沿，通常在地球上储量丰富、价格低廉且毒性低的主族金属是有吸引力的催化候选物。主要族金属已在广泛的聚合中得到利用，从经典的烯烃聚合到新的生物衍生和可降解聚酯和聚碳酸酯的合成开环聚合和开环共聚。本教程回顾重点介绍了基于第 1 族、第 2 族、锌和第 13 族金属的高效聚合催化剂。讨论了关键的机制途径和催化剂的发展，包括定制配体设计、异金属协同作用、双组分系统和聚合条件的仔细选择，所有这些都可用于微调金属路易斯酸度和金属-烷基键极性。