The invention is directed to ruthenium-based metathesis catalysts of the Grubbs-Hoveyda type. The new 2-aryloxy-substituted ruthenium catalysts described herein reveal rapid initiation behavior. Further, the corresponding styrene-based precursor compounds are disclosed. The catalysts are prepared in a cross-metathesis reaction starting from styrene-based precursors which can be prepared in a cost-effective manner.

The new Grubbs-Hoveyda type catalysts are suitable to catalyze ring-closing metathesis (RCM), cross metathesis (CM) and ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Low catalyst loadings are necessary to convert a wide range of substrates including more complex and critical substrates via metathesis reactions at low to moderate temperatures in high yields within short reaction times.

Highly active, recoverable and recyclable transition metal-based metathesis catalysts and their organometallic complexes including dendrimeric complexes are disclosed, including a Ru complex bearing a 1,3-dimesityl-4,5-dihydroimidazol-2-ylidene and styrenyl ether ligand. The heterocyclic ligand significantly enhances the catalytic activity, and the styrenyl ether allows for the easy recovery of the Ru complex. Derivatized catalysts capable of being immobilized on substrate surfaces are also disclosed. The present catalysts can be used to catalyze ring-closing metathesis (RCM), ring-opening (ROM) and cross metatheses (CM) reactions, and promote the efficient formation of various trisubstituted olefins at ambient temperature in high yield.

The present invention is directed to reaction mixtures comprising a water-surfactant mixture, wherein the catalyst comprises a compound with solubilizing groups. This technology improves the solubility of the reaction components in the water-surfactant mixture and thereby, greatly increases the productivity and selectivity of the chemical reaction.

An organometallic complex catalyst is disclosed for use in a cross-coupling reaction. In formula (1), M is the coordination center and represents a metal atom such as Pd or an ion thereof. R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 may be the same or different and are a substituent such as a hydrogen atom. R.sup.4, R.sup.5, R.sup.6, and R.sup.7 may be the same or different and are a substituent such as a hydrogen atom. X represents a halogen atom. R.sup.8 represents a substituent that has a bond and 3-20 carbon atoms. With regard to the electron-donating properties of R.sup.1-R.sup.7 with respect to the coordination center M of the ligand containing R.sup.1-R.sup.7 that is indicated in formula (2), R.sup.1-R.sup.7 are arranged in combination such that the TEP value obtained from infrared spectroscopy shifts toward the high frequency side compared to the TEP value of the ligand of formula (2-1).

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Disclosed herein are mixed catalyst systems including iron-containing catalyst compounds having a carbene ligand and another catalyst compound, as well as at least one activator. The iron-containing catalyst compounds can be asymmetric, while the other catalyst compound can be symmetric. In some embodiments, the other catalyst compound can be an iron-containing catalyst with a bisiminopyridyl ligand, which does not typically incorporate comonomers in copolymer synthesis. Processes for production of an ethylene alpha-olefin copolymers using these mixed catalyst systems are also disclosed. Ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers so formed can have at least a portion of their alpha-olefin comonomer distribution increasing with increasing molecular weight, indication orthogonal compositional distribution.

The invention relates to the use of ruthenium complexes, which are homogeneous catalysts and/or precatalysts of the olefin metathesis reaction, which lead to the production of alkenes containing an internal (non-terminal) double CC bond.

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A chemical reaction is catalyzed in an organic solvent using a water soluble N-heterocyclic carbene homogeneous catalyst to form a reaction mixture. An aqueous phase in the reaction mixture. A solvent in which the catalyst is insoluble is added to the reaction mixture, causing the catalyst to migrate to the aqueous phase to form a catalyst-laden aqueous phase. The catalyst is extracted from the catalyst-laden aqueous phase.

The present application provides a hydrodefluorodimerization process, which is useful in the synthesis of, for example, fluoroolefins that can be used as refrigerants, blowers and the like. The process is an early-stage fluorination process, wherein precursors containing fluorine are assembled into the desired product using a zerovalent nickel catalyst. Also provided is a liquid composition comprising one or more fluoroolefin produced by this catalytic process.

The present disclosure relates in part to sterically hindered N-aliphatic N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands, which are readily synthetically available from inexpensive starting materials. The present disclosure further relates to NHC catalyst complexes comprising transition metals such as Cu, Ag, Au, and Pd. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides methods for using the catalysts described herein in a number of organic transformations, including alkyne hydroboration and hydration, in addition to CO, CC, and CN coupling reactions.

The present invention provides a palladium precatalyst for cross-coupling reaction, the palladium precatalyst comprising a structure represented by following formula 1:

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wherein, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are the same, and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are substituted or unsubstituted phenyl; R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are the same, and R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are substituted or unsubstituted phenyl or cyclohexyl.