Title: catalyst-transfer polymerization
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - catalyst-transfer polymerization
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.09010
Status: current

Definition
Catalysed condensative chain polymerization where the catalyst is transferred from reactant polymer to product polymer with high efficiency.

Note
It is recommended that the adjective 'chain' be included in the term catalyst-transfer chain polymerization in circumstances where there may be confusion with respect to whether a chain mechanism is involved.

Example
Catalyst-transfer cross-coupling polymerization and enzyme-catalyzed polymerizations to form, for example, polypeptides, \(\ce{DNA}\), and \(\ce{RNA}\).

Related Terms
- Catalyst-transfer cross-coupling polymerization: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/09011
- condensative chain polymerization: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/09009

Source
- PAC, 2022, 94, 1093. 'Terminology for chain polymerization (IUPAC Recommendations 2021)' on page 1140 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2020-1211)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/09010/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/09010/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/09010/xml

Citation: Citation: 'catalyst-transfer polymerization' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.09010
License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms.
Collection: If you are interested in licensing the Gold Book for commercial use, please contact the IUPAC Executive Director at executivedirector@iupac.org .
Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.
Accessed: 2026-06-22T02:38:54+00:00