Four of 9,10-dihydroanthracene-9,10-alpha,beta-alkyl succinates have been synthesized and used as internal electron donors in MgCl2-supported Ziegler-Natta catalysts. The performances of the catalysts on the propylene polymerization have been investigated. The obtained polymers possess high-isotacticity and the polymerization activity is comparable with the catalysts using 9,9-bis(methoxymethyl)fluorene and diisobutyl phthalate as internal donor. With dimethoxydiphenylsilane as external donor, the catalysts for the polymerization of propylene exhibit satisfactory activities and are sensitive toward hydrogen. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 118: 1853-1858,2010