Metathesis catalysts

A polymeric transition metal catalyst comprising:

• a polymeric compound having a degree of polymerization numerical average value from 6 to 2000 and containing at least one transition metal catalyst comprising:
• at least one structural unit of the formula (Ia):
• where;
• M is a transition metal of the 8th transition group of the Periodic Table;
• X1 and X2 are the same or different and are each chlorine, bromine or iodine;
• L is an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand of the formula (II):
• where the direction of the arrow is intended to represent the bond to M and where;
• B is a 1,2-ethanediyl or 1,2-ethenediyl radical which is optionally mono- or disubstituted by C1-C4-alkyl, C6-C15-arylalkyl or C5-C14-aryl;
• and
• R6 and R7 are each independently C1-C20-alkyl or C5-C24-aryl;
• R1 is cyclic, straight-chain or branched C1-C20-alkyl or C5-C24-aryl;
• and
• R2, R3 and R4 are each independently hydrogen, C1-C20-alkyl, C5-C24-aryl, halogen, C1-C4-fluoroalkyl, C1-C4-alkoxy, C5-C14-aryloxy, (C1-C8-alkyl)OCO—, (C1-C8-alkyl)CO2—, (C5-C14-aryl)OCO— or (C5-C14-aryl)CO2—;
• and/or
• in each case two radicals in an ortho-arrangement to one another from the group of R2, R3 and R4 are part of a cyclic system which consists of a carbon framework having 5 to 22 carbon atoms, one or more carbon atoms of the cyclic system optionally being replaced by heteroatoms from the group of sulphur, oxygen or nitrogen, and the cyclic system also being optionally mono- or polysubstituted by radicals selected from the group of halogen, C1-C4-fluoroalkyl, (C1-C4-alkyl)OCO—, (C1-C8-alkyl)CO2—, (C6-C10-aryl)OCO— or (C5-C14-aryl)CO2—;
• and
• A is oxygen, sulphur, sulphoxyl, sulphonyl or CR8R9 where R8 and R9 are each independently hydrogen or C1-C4-alkyl;
• and
• D is C1-C8-alkylene, [(C1-C8-alkylene)-O—]n where n=1 to 12, (C1-C8-alkylene)CO2—, (C1-C8-alkylene)-OCO—(C1-C8-alkylene), (C1-C8-alkylene)CO2—(C1-C8-alkylene), (C1-C8alkylene)CONR10—, (C1-C8-alkylene)NR10CO—, (C1-C8-alkylene)CONR10—(C1-C8-alkylene) or (C1-C8-alkylene)NR10CO—(C1-C8-alkylene) where R10 is hydrogen or C1-C4-alkyl;
• and
• at least and structural units of the formula (Ib)
• where A, D, R1, R2, R3 and R4 each independently have the same definitions and fulfil the same conditions as specified under the formula (Ia);
• and optionally,
• at least one structural units of the formula (Ic):
• where:
• A has the same definition and fulfils the same conditions as specified under the formula (Ia);
• and
• R11 is C1-C8-alkyl, [(C1-C8-alkylene)-O—]n—(C1-C8-alkyl) where n=1 to 12, (C1-C8-alkylene)CO2—(C1-C8-alkyl), (C1-C8-alkylene)-OCO—(C1-C8-alkyl), (C1-C8-alkylene)-OCO—(C5-C14-aryl), (C1-C8-alkylene)CO2—(C5-C14-aryl), (C1-C8-alkylene)CONR10—(C1-C8-alkyl), (C1-C8-alkylene)NR10CO—(C1-C8-alkyl), (C1-C8-alkylene)-CONR10—(C5-C14-aryl) or (C1-C8-alkylene)NR10CO—(C5-C14-aryl) where R10 is hydrogen or C1-C4-alkyl.