A Practical and Highly Active Ruthenium-Based Catalyst that Effects the Cross Metathesis of Acrylonitrile
The highest initiation rate of any reported ruthenium-based catalyst was found for the new olefin-metathesis catalyst [(H2IMes)(3-Br-py)2(Cl)2RuCHPh] (1), which was synthesized in one step from commercially available reagents. Complex 1 is highly efficient for the cross metathesis of acrylonitrile, which is generally a poor substrate for metathesis reactions (e.g., see scheme). Mes=2,4,6-trimethylphenyl.