Smith, Abigail2020-02-262020-02-262019-12https://hdl.handle.net/11299/211803University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. December 2019. Major: Chemistry. Advisor: Ian Tonks. 1 computer file (PDF); xiv, 157 pages.Despite the wealth of research and technological advancement already achieved in the field of olefin polymerization catalysis, the demand for more efficient catalysts, higher performing materials, and new materials for diverse applications continues to grow. Manipulating the secondary coordination sphere of an olefin polymerization catalyst is attractive for the potential to access modular, tunable catalysis while maintaining the integrity of the active catalyst site. Similarly, coordinative chain transfer polymerization is an effective strategy to tune the molecular weight, polydispersity, and microstructure of the resultant polymer by changing the chain transfer agent identity or concentration. This work describes the synthesis, characterization, and fundamental reactivity investigations of (bi)pyridyl-appended ligands applied to ethylene polymerization catalysts. Additionally, the fundamental factors governing chain transfer for Nd-catalyzed 1,3-butadiene polymerization were explored, and a short review on the advancements of single-site olefin polymerization catalysis is presented.enThesis or Dissertation