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Updated: Oct 13, 2025

Facile Preparation of 2Z,4E-Dienamides by the Olefination of Electron-deficient Alkenes with Allyl Acetate
Published on: June 21, 2017
Bulky Cyclometalated Ruthenium Nitrates for Challenging Z-Selective Metathesis: Efficient One-Step Access to
Yan Xu1, Quan Gan1, Adrian E Samkian1
1Arnold and Mabel Beckman Laboratory of Chemical Synthesis, Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125, United States.
Abstract:
α-Oxygenated Z-olefins are ubiquitous in biologically active molecules and serve as versatile handles for organic synthesis, but their syntheses are often tedious and less selective. Here we report the efficient Z-selective metathesis of various terminal acrylates and allyl alcohols, which enables facile and selective construction of high value-added α-oxygenated Z-olefins from readily available feedstock chemicals. These challenging metathesis transformations are enabled by novel cyclometalated Ru-carbene-nitrate complexes bearing bulky-yet-flexible side arms, whose assembly was unlocked by new organometallic syntheses.
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