The Organizing Committee is pleased to invite you to attend the 14th International Symposium on Olefin Metathesis and Related Chemistry to be held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge (Boston), Massachusetts, from Sunday noon, August 5 through Thursday noon, August 9, 2001. This symposium follows that held in July of 1999 in Kerkrade, The Netherlands.

In the last decade research in the area of olefin metathesis has made dramatic strides. Many of the recent results employ "well-defined," isolable new catalysts based on Mo or Ru, among them relative active Ru catalysts and the first efficient Mo catalysts for asymmetric olefin metathesis reactions. Perhaps the most important applications have been made in the area of organic synthesis. Molybdenum or ruthenium olefin metathesis catalysts have now been employed in a number of natural product syntheses, since the metathesis reaction is by definition a unique and efficient way to form a carbon-carbon double bond. Acetylene metathesis has also been shown to be useful in organic synthesis, although the number of examples at present lags far behind examples involving olefin metathesis.

Since many of the applications of olefin metathesis involve the synthesis of polymers, and since some of the principles of olefin polymerization by transition metal alkyl complexes, especially cations, are related to those of olefin metathesis, a significant fraction of the talks and posters at ISOM XIV will concern recent developments in the area of olefin polymerization, often again by relatively "well-defined" catalysts. Late transition metal catalysts as well as early transition metal catalysts will be represented, and emphasis will be placed on controlling polymer structure and/or molecular weight through catalyst design.

We look forward to welcoming you in the Boston area, one of the most exciting "Ameropean" cities in the U.S.

Richard R. Schrock
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Amir H. Hoveyda
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA