Activation of olefin metathesis complexes containing unsymmetrical unsaturated N-heterocyclic carbenes by copper and gold transmetalation

Fadwa Kamal (1) , Sophie Colombel-Rouen (1) , Adrien Dumas (1) , Jean-Paul Guégan (1) , Thierry Roisnel (1) , Vincent Dorcet (1) , Olivier Baslé (1) , Mathieu Rouen (2) , Marc Mauduit (1)

1 ISCR - Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes
2 DEMETA SAS

The activation of ruthenium-indenylidene complexes containing two unsymmetrical unsaturated N-heterocyclic carbenes (u2-NHCs) by a transmetalation process is reported. The use of copper(i) or gold(i) chlorides promotes the rapid trapping of one NHC ligand, which releases the catalytically active Ru-species. Impressive initiation rates with full-conversions are observed within one minute. This practical protocol demonstrates excellent catalytic performances in various ring-closing metathesis (RCM) and self-metathesis (SM) reactions.

Domains: Chemical Sciences

Fadwa Kamal, Sophie Colombel-Rouen, Adrien Dumas, Jean-Paul Guégan, Thierry Roisnel, et al.. Activation of olefin metathesis complexes containing unsymmetrical unsaturated N-heterocyclic carbenes by copper and gold transmetalation. Chemical Communications, 2019, 55 (77), pp.11583-11586. ⟨10.1039/c9cc05776e⟩. ⟨hal-02307034⟩