Water-tolerant bis(allyl)-ruthenium(IV) catalysts: An account of their applications

In this mini-review, a summary of the catalytic applications developed in our group for the bis(allyl)-ruthenium(IV) complexes [{RuCl(μ-Cl)(η3:η3-C10H16)}2] (C10H16 = 2,7-dimethylocta-2,6-diene-1,8-diyl), [RuCl2(η3:η2:η3-C12H18)] (C12H18 = dodeca-2,6,10-triene-1,12-diyl) and their derivatives, is given. Selective transformations of olefins, alkynes, nitriles and aldoximes, most of them performed in environmentally friendly aqueous media, are discussed.