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)2RuCHPh] (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. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2002/2002/z19775_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than…