Synthesis and characterization of new ruthenium N-heterocyclic carbene Hoveyda II-type complexes. Study of reactivity in ring closing metathesis reactions

This manuscript describes the synthesis and structural study of new second generation Hoveyda-Grubbs catalysts: 1,3-dimesityl-acenaphthylenyl-4,5-imidazolin-2-ylidene (BIAN-NHC) ruthenium isopropoxybenzylidene dichloride 3 and 1,3-bis-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazole Cl2Ru(=CH-o-O-i-PrC6H4) 4. The electrochemical and catalytic behavior of these new complexes was compared with the conventional NHC carbene Hoveyda II IMes-type complexes 1 and 2 for ring closing metathesis reactions.