Stereoretentive Olefin Metathesis Made Easy: In Situ Generation of Highly Selective Ruthenium Catalysts from Commercial Starting Materials

The in situ preparation of highly stereoretentive ruthenium-based metathesis catalysts is reported. This approach completely avoids the isolation of intermediates and air-sensitive catalysts, thus allowing for the rapid access and evaluation of numerous dithiolate Ru catalysts. A procedure was established to perform cross-metathesis reactions without the use of a glovebox, and on a small scale even Schlenk techniques are not required. Consequently, the chemistry displayed in this report is available to every practicing organic chemist and presents a powerful approach for the identification of new stereoretentive catalysts.