We report a butylacrylate based polymer gel with active Rh(I) centers that show catalytic competence in the hydroformylation of styrene. Covalently bound phosphine ligands within the polymer chelate Rh(I), thereby forming stress-bearing linkages that are susceptible to mechanical stress. Rheological data show the contributions of these dative cross-links by comparison to the same gel sans Rh(I). The chelated Rh(I) is shown to be catalytically competent in the hydroformylation of styrene. These results pave the way for further studies on the effect of an applied strain on the catalytic activity of the chelated Rh(I).