Since 1956, the Ziegler-Natta catalysts have been used widely in the commercial manufacture of many polymeric materials.

In the year 2010, the total volume of plastics, elastomers, and rubbers produced from alkenes with the help of these catalysts worldwide exceeded 100 million metric tons. Together, these polymers have managed to represent the largest-volume commodity plastics as well as the largest-volume commodity chemicals in the world. Known as the most useful catalyst, let us know a little more about the man behind the Ziegler Natta catalyst.

Biography

Karl Ziegler was born on November 26 1898 in a place called as Helsa near Kassel, Germany. Karl Ziegler graduated from the University of Marburg in 1920 and continued to teach there from 1923 to 1926. Karl Ziegler's primary work involved organic chemistry and the chemistry of macromolecular compounds.

Karl Ziegler died on August 11 1973 in Mulheim an der Ruhr, Germany.

Know the discovery of Ziegler-Natta catalyst

Italian Giulio Natta along with Karl Ziegler discovered the Ziegler-Natta catalyst. In the year 1953, Karl Ziegler discovered a catalyst based on triethylaluminum and titanium halides. With the help this catalyst, he achieved the polymerization of ethylene into linear polyethylene at low temperatures and pressures for the first time.

This discovery of linear polyethylene led to the creation of a number of mixed catalysts which were called as the Ziegler and Natta catalysts, for the synthesis of stereoregular polymers. Ziegler also developed many industrial methods of producing butadiene, higher α-olefins, higher alcohols, and carboxylic acids.

In 1963, Karl Ziegler's efforts yielded results and he was awarded with the Nobel Prize along with Giulio Natta. Since then this catalyst has been in use and has proved to be a vital part as far as synthesizing of polymers is concerned.