Recent advances in the syntheses and applications of molybdenum and tungsten alkylidene and alkylidyne catalysts for the metathesis of alkenes and alkynes

The last several years have produced some key advances in the area of alkene and alkyne metathesis by high oxidation state alkylidene and alkylidyne complexes along with new applications in organic and polymer chemistry. In this review we cover some of these developments and applications. The first part of this review concerns developments in catalyst synthesis and new catalysts. The second part concerns notable applications in organic and polymer chemistry. We discuss only high oxidation state alkylidene and alkylidyne chemistry of relevance to alkene or alkyne metathesis reactions and favor studies in the homogeneous phase.