| abstract |
The invention pertains to rhenium (VII) compounds which are catalysts for metathesis of ordinary olefins (hydrocarbons) and functionalized olefins in a homogeneous phase and to methods of synthesizing these compounds. The rhenium compounds comprise a rhenium (VII) atom centrally linked to an alkylidene ligand, an alkylidyne ligand, and two other ligands of which at least one ligand is sufficiently electron withdrawing to render the rhenium atom significantly active for metathesis. |