Recent Applications of Alkene Metathesis in Fine Chemical Synthesis

During the last decade or so, the emergence of the metathesis reaction in organic synthesis has revolutionised the strategies used for the construction of complex molecular structures. Olefin metathesis is indeed particularly suited for the construction of small open-chain molecules and macrocycles using cross-metathesis and ring-closing metathesis, respectively. These reactions serve, inter alia, as key steps in the synthesis of various agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals such as macrocyclic peptides, cyclic sulfonamides, novel macrolides, or insect pheromones. The present chapter is aiming at illustrating the great synthetic potential of metathesis reactions. Shortcomings, such as the control of olefin geometry and the unpredictable effect of substituents on the reacting olefins, will also be addressed. Examples to be presented include epothilones, amphidinolides, spirofungin A, and archazolid. Synthetic approaches involving silicon-tethered ring-closing metathesis, relay ring-closing metathesis, sequential reactions, domino as well as tandem metathesis reactions will also be illustrated.