Two strategies have been developed to prepare silica-supported bis(imino)pyridyl Fe(II) catalysts for ethylene polymerization. The bis(imino)pyridyl ligands were modified by the introduction of reactive ethoxysilane or Si-Cl end groups, allowing the immobilization of them via the direct reaction of the ethoxysilane or Si-Cl groups with the silanols on the silica surface. The resultant silica-supported bis(imino)pyridyl ligands were characterized by analytical and spectroscopic (NMR, Raman, FTIR, and XPS) techniques. The complexation reactions of the supported ligands with FeCl2 center dot 4H(2)O give rise to silica-supported Fe(II) precatalysts, which exhibit high catalytic activities for ethylene polymerization in the presence of modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO). The molecular weights of the polyethylenes obtained with the supported precatalysts are much higher than those produced with corresponding homogeneous Fe(II) precatalyst under the same conditions. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.