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 missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.