ABSTRACT
Olefin metathesis, the rearrangement of carbon-carbon bonds in the presence of a metal carbene, has become an integral tool for the synthetic organic chemist. The simplistic nature in the execution of this chemistry lends itself well to use on a large scale. The reaction offers alternatives to other alkene synthesis, such as the Wittig reaction with the large amounts of by-products produced, and can tolerate a wide variety of functionality. With the emergence of several well-defined, highly active catalysts, the deployment of this type of chemistry on an industrial scale will continue to expand over the coming years.
