In recent years, the olefin metathesis reaction has attracted widespread attention as a versatile carbon−carbon bond-forming method. Many new applications have become possible because of major advances in catalyst design. State-of-the-art ruthenium catalysts are not only highly active but also compatible with most functional groups and easy to use. This Account traces the ideas and discoveries that were instrumental in the development of these catalysts, with particular emphasis on (PCy3)2Cl2RuCHPh and its derivatives. The discussion includes an analysis of trends in catalyst activity, a description of catalysts coordinated with N-heterocyclic carbene ligands, and an overview of ongoing work to improve the activity, stability, and selectivity of this family of L2X2RuCHR complexes.

http://web4.uwindsor.ca/users/j/jlichaa/reference.nsf/0/10ff8b04ff3a317885256d88005720f6/$FILE/acr-2001-34-18-metath-grubbs.pdf

The Development of L2X2RuCHR Olefin Metathesis Catalysts: An Organometallic Success Story

The fascinating story of olefin (or alkene) metathesis (eq
1) began almost five decades ago, when Anderson and
Merckling reported the first carbon-carbon double-bond
rearrangement reaction in the titanium-catalyzed polymerization of norbornene. Nine years later, Banks and Bailey reported “a new disproportionation reaction . . . in which olefins are converted to homologues of shorter and longer carbon chains...”. In 1967, Calderon and co-workers named this metal-catalyzed redistribution of carbon-carbon double bonds olefin metathesis, from the Greek word “μeτάθeση”, which means change of position. These contributions have since served as the foundation for an amazing research field, and olefin metathesis currently represents a powerful transformation in chemical synthesis, attracting a vast amount of interest both in industry and academia.

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/4884240.pdf

Ruthenium-based heterocyclic carbene-coordinated olefin metathesis catalysts.

Living ring-opening metathesis polymerization

Homogeneous Metathesis Polymerization by Well-Defined Group VI and Group VIII Transition-Metal Alkylidenes: Fundamentals and Applications in the Preparation of Advanced Materials.

Hung Yu Chen

Papers

Olefin metathesis - A novel reaction for skeletal transformations of unsaturated hydrocarbons

Olefin conversion process