Recycling a Homogeneous Catalyst through a Light‐Controlled Phase Tag

Abstract

A homogeneous ruthenium–carbene complex was tagged with a light-responding nitrobenzospiropyran group to control its solubility through reversible conversion between its neutral (lipophilic) and ionic (lipophobic) states using light irradiation (see scheme; Mes=mesityl). This tagged complex has significant catalytic activity in ring-closing metathesis reactions and was recycled several times.