Ruthenium-based Grubbs-type catalysts and their applications in modern organic synthesis

Grubbs catalysts, a class of Ru-based complexes, have revolutionized modern organic synthesis by enabling efficient and selective carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions, particularly olefin metathesis. Since their introduction, these catalysts have evolved significantly across multiple generations, each improving stability, activity, and functional-group tolerance. This review encompasses a broad class of ruthenium-based Grubbs-type catalysts and their derivatives. Further, an extensive survey of the wide range of organic transformations mediated by these catalysts, olefin metathesis (OM) and its key variants, including cross metathesis (CM), ring-closing metathesis (RCM), macrocyclization, ring-rearrangement metathesis (RRM), and ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP), along with other transformations, has been conducted. These reactions are compiled into a unified framework that underscores the versatility, efficiency, and expanding applications of Grubbs catalysis in contemporary synthetic chemistry. This review offers a valuable and timely resource for researchers, providing both foundational knowledge and practical perspectives that will support future developments and applications in the field of catalysis.