Electronic Effects of the Anionic Ligand in Ruthenium-Catalyzed Olefin Metathesis

Synthesis of a family of Ru-catecholate catalysts, in which catechol acidity spans 4.5 pK(a) units, enables evaluation of electronic effects in Ru-catalyzed olefin metathesis. The metathesis activity drops as the anionic ligands become more electron-deficient, in contrast to the trend established for the Schrock group 6 catalysts.