Three procatalysts of the MgCl2/TiCl4 type, differing mainly in their morphological characteristics, were investigated in ethylene polymerization and ethylene-l-butene copolymerization. Apparently, hydrogen has an intrinsic and general deactivating effect but it can also play an activating effect in homopolymerization. This peculiarity was found to be related to a catastrophic breakage of the polymer/catalyst particles during growth and thus to the exposure of new active centers. In this case the kinetic profiles are irregular and characterized by one or more secondary peaks which reflect the moment when this morphology-driven rate-enhancement effect takes place. In general, the prepolymerization of the procatalysts with propylene tends to slightly enhance homopolymerization rate, to slow down copolymerization rate and to stabilize the morphology of the growing polymer particles, thus preventing the occurrence of the irregular kinetic profiles observed during homopolymerization in the presence of hydrogen. The behavior of the procatalysts investigated was found to depend on the distribution of their pore size rather than the absolute values of their porosity. Likely this is due to an easier diffusion of the monomer and a more regular and homogeneous growth of the polymer within larger as opposed to smaller pores. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.