Variations on a Ruthenium Carbene: The Grubbs Catalysts for Olefin Metathesis

Robert H Grubbs (1942–2021), Nobel laureate and former professor of Caltech, USA, is celebrated for his path breaking discovery of a series of ruthenium carbene based organometallic catalysts, well known as Grubbs catalysts. These catalysts are widely used by chemists across the world for carrying out a variety of olefin metathesis reactions under mild and ambient conditions. The article describes the synthesis and development of Grubbs ruthenium carbene catalysts and their closely related analogues. Their differences in structure, reactions and properties, their advantages and disadvantages when applied as catalysts in olefin metathesis reactions are briefly highlighted.