Recent Advances in Alkene Metathesis

Abstract

The last half decade has been a period of unprecedented development for the range of transition-metal-catalysed alkylidene exchange reactions collectively known as alkene metathesis. These carbon–carbon bond forming processes have, in a relatively short time, evolved from relative obscurity into a major research area at the forefront of both modern organometallic and synthetic organic chemistry, driven by the rational design of ever more robust and powerful catalytic systems. The advent of modern well-defined catalysts has allowed practitioners to develop alkene metathesis beyond traditional intramolecular processes into diverse areas such as chemoselective cross-metathesis, intramolecular and intramolecular enyne metathesis, domino metathesis reactions and enantioselective alkene metathesis, together with applications in solid-phase organic synthesis. The major recent developments in these areas are discussed.