Unexpected Results of a Turnover Number (TON) Study Utilising Ruthenium‐Based Olefin Metathesis Catalysts

Abstract

Abstract A turnover number (TON) study of ruthenium‐based metathesis catalysts has been conducted for ring‐closing metathesis (RCM) in dilute solution. Unexpectedly the results indicate that 1 st generation metathesis catalysts can give higher TON in RCM of simple unsubstituted terminal olefins than their second generation counterparts. In particular, the 1 st generation Hoveyda–Grubbs catalyst showed unexpectedly high activity, particularly when compared to the 2 nd generation catalysts.