Recent Advances in Ruthenium Catalysts for Alkene Metathesis

Although ruthenium initiators currently available for alkene metathesis are endowed with many beneficial properties, there is still room for improvement and many research groups are actively pursuing the quest for the next generation of alkene metathesis catalysts. The present contribution aims at providing a critical survey of some of the most significant achievements accomplished toward this goal during the last few years. New ligands and complexes designed to achieve the appropriate balance between electronic and steric properties of the ruthenium active centres are depicted, and their stability, activity, and chemoselectivity are briefly discussed.