Acid-mediated activation of modified ring-closing metathesis catalysts

To improve the reactivity of Grubbs catalyst, novel ligands were designed and synthesized which possess nitrogen-containing heterocycles such as imidazole and pyridine. The modified catalysts were treated with a range of acids and the acid salt forms were used as catalysts for ring-closing metathesis (RCM) reactions. As a result, reactions employing the acid-modified catalysts showed considerable reactivity enhancement in RCM.

Novel acid-activated catalyst systems were developed for ring closing metathesis (RCM) reactions.