There are a large number of chemical transformations in which alkenes act as the reactants and/or the products of the reaction, but methods enabling the facile synthesis of 1,2-disubstituted Z alkenes are scarce. This paper describes catalytic Z-selective cross-metathesis reactions of terminal enol ethers, which have not been reported previously,and allylic amides, used thus far only in E-selective processes. The utility of this methodology is demonstrated by its use in syntheses of anti oxidant C18 (plasm)-16:0 (PC), found in electrically active tissues and implicated in Alzheimer's disease, and the potent immunostimulant KRN7000.
- Simon J. Meek
- Robert V. O’Brien
- Amir H. Hoveyda
