Fast-initiating Grubbs Catalyst1
(Ph = phenyl; Mes = mesityl)
- CAS#: [900169-53-1]
- FW: 884
- Color: Green
- Initiation temperature: <0 °C
| Process | Strengths | Weaknesses |
| CM2 | -Efficient CM w/ acrylonitrile | -Poor thermal stability in solution |
| RCM | -Activates at low temperatures | |
| ROMP | -Provides narrow polydispersity materials | -Will create a rapid exotherm w/ strained olefin |
This catalyst was discovered in an effort to identify effective catalysts for acrylonitrile CM (because it’s a phosphine-free system). It turned out to be one of the fastest-initiating ruthenium catalysts known, measured to be >4,000 times faster to initiate than the 2nd generation Grubbs catalyst. Because of that, ROMP polymers of norbornene and oxo-norbornene generally exhibit narrow polydispersities, in contrast to polymers obtained using Grubbs second-generation catalyst.2
1 Love, J. A.; Morgan, J. P.; Trnka, T. M.; Grubbs, R. H. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2002, 41, 4035.
2 Choi, T.-L.; Grubbs, R. H. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2003, 42, 1743.
CM – Cross Metathesis
RCM – Ring Closing Metathesis
ROMP – Ring Opening Metathesis Polymerization
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