Reports on alternating copolymers prepared by metathesis copolymerization of two different monomers are relatively rare. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] In 2005, Chen et al. reported on the mechanismbased design of a ROMP (ring-opening metathesis polymerization) catalyst for sequence-selective copolymerization. [8,9] Here, we report on an alternative system for the synthesis of alternating copolymers based on Grubbs-type initiators containing an unsymmetrical, chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand.As part of our on ongoing research on ruthenium metathesis catalysts with saturated unsymmetrical NHC ligands [10,11] initiator 1 was prepared from [RuCl 2 (PCy 3 ) 2 -(CHPh)] and 1-mesityl-3-((1'R)-1-phenylethyl)-4,5-dihydroimidazolium tetrafluoroborate in 90 % yield. This initiator was used for the copolymerization of norbornene (NBE) and cyclooctene (COE) using a stoichiometry of 1/NBE/COE of 1:2000:100 000. Reactions kinetics recorded for this copolymerization in CH 2 Cl 2 revealed that NBE was consumed in less than 15 min. Terminating the copolymerization after 60 min in fact provided an almost perfectly alternating copolymer of NBE and COE. Unfortunately, the polymer was only partially soluble in standard solvents such as CHCl 3 . However, the soluble fraction showed a unimodal molecular weight distribution (PDI = 2.19), and M n = 40 400 g mol À1 was found. Longer reaction times led to the formation of substantial amounts of a poly(COE) homopolymer block attached to the alternating copolymer. This homopolymer block is easily identified by NMR spectroscopy.The 13 C NMR spectrum of the alternating copolymer (97 % alternating units, d = 128-136 ppm) is shown in Figure 1. Hardly any signals for poly(NBE) or poly(COE) can be detected. [2,12] The signals for the alternating copolymer are observed around d = 135.0 and 128.5 ppm. The first set of signals around d = 135.0 ppm is assigned to the C = C À CH 2 carbon atoms and consists of eight different signals at d = 135. 28, 135.26, 135.14, 135.00, 134.98, 134.95, 134.83, and 134.80 ppm, which we attribute, without specific assignment, to the ccc, tcc, ctc, cct, ttc, tct, ctt, and ttt triads. The fact that all eight signals display roughly the same intensity is indicative for a cis content of about 50 % and is in accordance with the 1 H NMR spectrum, which shows signals of the cis and trans double bonds in a 1:1 ratio at d = 5.36 and 5.28 ppm, respectively. Such a high cis content is rather unusual for polymers prepared by Grubbs-type initiators; most display a cis/trans ratio of roughly 25:75. The less well-resolved signals around 128.5 ppm are assigned to the C=CÀCH 2 carbon atoms and correspond to the same triads. DSC measurements of the alternating copolymer revealed a single glass transition at T g = À50.9 8C (Dc p = 0.32 J g À1 )), which is in between the glass transition temperatures of poly(COE) (À78 8C, 50 % trans) [13] and various poly(NBE)s (40-64 8C).[14]We next turned our attention to the initiation efficiency of 1. Second-generation Grubbs-type initiators having ...