The precise tailoring of polymer molecules (macromolecular engineering) by cationic methods can only be achieved in the absence of adventitious protogenic events, i.e., uncontrolled initiation, chain transfer to monomer. It is postulated that these undesirable processes can be aborted in cationic polymerization charges by the use of certain sterically hindered amines. This group of compounds has been used to scavenge protons in preparative small molecule organic chemistry, the pertinent literature of which is briefly examined. Orienting polymerization experiments carried out in the presence of various sterically hindered amines, in particular with 2,6-di-tert-butyl-pyridine, gave encouraging results in terms of conversion, molecular weights, and molecular weight distributions, and gave impetus for further detailed investigations.