Organoruthenium carbide complexes as precatalysts for olefin metathesis

A compound of formula II:

• wherein:
• X is chlorine, bromine or iodine;
• L is PR3, where R is independently selected from the group consisting of isopropyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, cyclohexyl, bicyclo(C5-C10)alkyl, phenyl, benzyl, isopropoxy, sec-butoxy, tert-butoxy, cyclohexyloxy, phenoxy and benzyloxy;
• R2 and R3 are the same or different and each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, linear or branched (C1-C6)alkyl, (C6-C10)aryl, methoxy, ethoxy, linear or branched (C1-C6)alkoxy, (C6-C10)aryloxy, —NHCO(C1-C6)alkyl, —NHCO-perfluoro(C1-C6)alkyl, —SO2N((C1-C6)alkyl)2 and —NO2;
• or
• R2 and R3 taken together with the carbon atom to which they are attached to form a (C3-C7)cycloalkyl ring;
• R4 and R5 are the same or different and each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, methyl, ethyl and linear or branched (C1-C6)alkyl;
• Ar2 is selected from the group consisting of substituted or unsubstituted phenyl, substituted or unsubstituted biphenyl and substituted or unsubstituted naphthyl;
• wherein said substituents are selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, iso-propyl, tert-butyl and phenyl.