Olefin cross-metathesis for the synthesis of heteroaromatic compounds

The olefin metathesis reaction has underpinned spectacular achievements in organic synthesis in recent years. Arguably, metathesis has now become the foremost choice for a carbon-carbon double bond disconnection. Despite this general utility, de novo routes to heteroaromatic compounds using the cross-metathesis (CM) reaction have only recently emerged as an efficient strategy. This approach allows a convergent union of simple, functionalised, three- to four-carbon olefinic core building blocks, to generate furans, pyrroles and pyridines with a high degree of control of substitution pattern in the product.