Catalyst 1 and an electron-poor analogue 2 have been shown to catalyze the monoisomerization of both functionalized and unfunctionalized alkenes efficiently and selectively, producing greater than 95% yields for unfunctionalized linear alkenes. 1 and 2 appear to be formally 16-electron complexes both in solution and in the solid state. One of the major advantages in using the coordinatively unsaturated complexes 1 and 2 over their nitrile-containing counterparts and over the previous Cp catalyst is the ability to perform controlled monoisomerization on alkene substrates that have the potential to easily overisomerize, such as conjugatable π systems like 4-phenyl-1-butene (see below). Comparisons highlighting the differences in selectivity between the Cp and Cp* complexes for isomerization with a variety of substrates will be shown.

Controlled monoisomerization of 1-alkenes mediated by a 16-electron ruthenium catalyst

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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