The kinetics of α -olefin metathesis in the presence of binary ( MoCl 5 /SiO 2 -Me 4 Sn ) and ternary catalytic systems ( MoCl 5 /SiO 2 -Me 4 Sn-ECl 4 , E = Si or Ge) was studied. It was found that reactivation in the course of metathesis occurred on the addition of a third component (silicon tetrachloride or germanium tetrachloride in combination with tetramethyltin) to a partially deactivated catalyst. The number of active centers was determined (5-6% of the amount of Mo), and the mechanisms of formation, deactivation, and reactivation were proposed for the binary and ternary catalytic systems. The roles of the individual components of the catalytic systems were revealed.