Synthesis and catalytic olefin metathesis activity of amberlyst-15 supported cyclic and bicyclic alkyl amino carbene ruthenium complexes

Amberlyst-15 supported cyclic alkyl amino carbene and bicyclic alkyl amino carbene ruthenium olefin metathesis catalysts for sustainable catalytic applications have been synthesized by the well-known wet impregnation method utilizing ionic complex/support interaction. Surface coverages are as high as 4 and 7 wt% were achieved in the case of the significantly higher pore volume Amberlyst-15, compared to Amberlyst-36. These phase separable catalysts show high activity in cross metathesis, ring closing metathesis and ethenolysis reactions compared to the reported heterogenized olefin metathesis catalysts. Leeching tests revealed no more than 1.5 ppm ruthenium content for the investigated metathesis reactions, which is well below the accepted 10 ppm limit in case of consumer products.