Olefin metathesis (Chauvin, Schrock, Grubbs)
Metátesis de olefinas y catalizadores de Schrock y Grubbs
- Date
- 1971-1992 · confidence high
- Place
- IFP, Rueil-Malmaison (Chauvin); MIT (Schrock); Caltech, Pasadena (Grubbs)
- Credited to
- Yves Chauvin (mechanism, 1971), Richard Schrock (Mo catalysts, 1990), Robert Grubbs (Ru catalysts, 1992)
- People
- 👤 Richard Schrock1945–👤 Robert Howard Grubbs1942–2021👤 Yves Chauvin1930–2015
- Field
- Matter & energy
What was discovered
C=C double bonds are exchanged between molecules through a metal carbene. Well-defined catalysts turned metathesis into a general tool for polymers, drugs and green chemistry.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2005.
What it led to
- Synthesis of macrocycles and drugs
- ROMP polymers
- Green chemistry
Built on
- Ruthenium1844
- organometallic chemistry
- Phillips triethylene process (1964)
Made possible
- commercial Grubbs catalysts
- macrocyclic antiviral drugs