Ruthenium-Catalyzed Olefin Cross Metathesis of Styrenes as an Alternative to the Heck and Cross-Coupling Reactions

The use of olefin cross metathesis as a method for the formation of styrenyl-olefins is described using allylic substituted olefins and electron-deficient olefins. These methods provide an orthogonal method to alternative olefination strategies, such as the Heck reaction. These methods have also been employed in the total synthesis of 3-flavanols.