Pure Appl. Chem., 2003, Vol. 75, No. 4, pp. 421-425
doi:10.1351/pac200375040421
Synthesis of coumarins by ring-closing metathesis*
A. K. Chatterjee, F. D. Toste, S. D. Goldberg, and R. H. Grubbs
Arnold and Mabel Beckman Laboratories for Chemical Synthesis, Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Abstract:
Investigations into olefin ring-closing metathesis (RCM) have led to a general method for the synthesis of coumarins. Catalysts with higher activity, such as the second-generation ruthenium catalyst, promote the intramolecular reaction between two-electron deficient olefins. This method allows for convenient access to a variety of coumarins substituted at both the 3- and 4-positions, as well as a tetrasubstituted example.
*Plenary lecture presented at the XXth International Conference on Organometallic Chemistry (ICOMC), Corfu, Greece, 7-12 July 2002. Other presentations are published in this issue, pp. 421-494.