Catalytic Enantioselective Olefin Metathesis and Natural Product Synthesis

Catalytic Enantioselective Olefin Metathesis and Natural Product Synthesis 

Amir H. Hoveyda, Steven J. Maicoimson, Simon J. Meek, and Adil R. Zhugraiin 

In this chapter, a brief account of various applications of catalytic enantioselective olefin metathesis [1] to the synthesis of biologically active molecules is presented. The availability of chiral catalysts for olefin metathesis offers schemes for enantioselective synthesis of natural products that are more concise than those entailing the use of achiral Ru- or Mo-based complexes and enantiomerically pure substrates [2]. Enantioselective olefin metathesis plays a critical role in the development of more effective catalysts. A less appreciated role of investigations directed toward chiral catalyst development is that such efforts can lead to the identification of better catalysts. In designing a chiral catalyst, the structure - the steric and electronic characteristics - of the promoter molecule might be altered to the extent that a fundamentally new type of catalyst, one that hkely has different reactivity and/or selectivity profiles, emerges. 

Total Synthesis of Natural Products with Enantiomerically Pure Chiral Olefin Metathesis Catalysts Bearing a C2-symmetric Diolate Ligand 

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