The chromium alkyl complex Cp * Cr(py)Me-2 (Cp * = eta(5)-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, py = pyridine, Me = methyl) has been affixed to the surface of zeolite MCM-22 via methane elimination. The resulting composite material has been characterized by a variety of physical methods. The results are consistent with the presence of isolated organometallic fragments linked to the solid support by a covalent chromium-oxygen bond. Activation of this material with methylaluminoxane (MAO) yielded a highly active catalyst for the polymerization of ethylene. The polyethylene thus formed featured high molecular weights (M-w similar to 4 x 10(6)) and narrow molecular weight distributions (M-w/M-n similar to 3.5).