Seven novel Hoveyda-Grubbs precatalysts bearing an aminosulfonyl function are reported. Kinetic studies indicate an activity enhancement compared to Hoveyda's precatalyst. A selection of these catalysts was investigated with various substrates in ring-closing metathesis of dienes or enynes and cross metathesis. The results demonstrate that these catalysts show a good tolerance to various chemical functions.
Keywords: RCM; cross-metathesis; kinetic studies; olefin metathesis; ruthenium.