Olefin cross-metathesis for the synthesis of heteroaromatic compounds

Abstract

The olefin metathesis reaction has underpinned spectacular achievements in organic synthesis in recent years. Arguably, metathesis has now become the foremost choice for a carbon–carbon double bond disconnection. Despite this general utility, de novo routes to heteroaromatic compounds using the cross-metathesis (CM) reaction have only recently emerged as an efficient strategy. This approach allows a convergent union of simple, functionalised, three- to four-carbon olefinic core building blocks, to generate furans, pyrroles and pyridines with a high degree of control of substitution pattern in the product.