A facile and efficient method for the synthesis of isoindoline, indane, and dihydroisobenzofuran derivatives has been developed through the application of a halogen‐bridged iridium(III) complex to the [2+2+2] cycloaddition of α,ω‐diynes with alkynes. The cycloaddition tolerates a broad range of substitution groups, such as alcohol, alkyl, ether, and halogen, and the chemistry can be extended to prepare the corresponding borylated fused arenes. The reaction shows that hindered starting materials are also good partners, which provide the desired fused arenes in good yields.

International audienceOlefin metathesis is a powerful catalytic reaction that has a huge potential in the pharmaceutical, polymer and specialty chemicals industries. Cost-effective industrial applications require large-scale availability of catalyst precursors which combine high activity, high selectivity and long life-time. Among the known numerous families of olefin metathesis catalysts, the Umicore M7-catalyst family represents a novel class of Hoveyda-type complexes showing excellent chemical stabilities and modular activity profiles. Relevant aspects related to their industrial synthesis as well as their catalytic performance in valuable olefin metathesis transformations are overviewed here

Ruthenium-Based Metathesis Catalysts -[58 refs.]. -(DOPPIU, A.; CAIJO, F.; TRIPOTEAU, F.; BOMPARD, S.; CREVISY, C.; MAUDUIT, M.; Top. Catal. 57 (2014) 17-20, 1351-1358, http://dx.

Iridium(III)-Catalyzed Approach for the Synthesis of Fused Arenes: Access to Isoindolines, Indanes, and Dihydroisobenzofurans. -The reaction of the terminal and internal diynes with alkynes is developed to afford a wide range of the target compounds tolerating many functional groups as alcohols, ethers, halogens. Silyl groups at the diynes are not tolerated [cf. (XIIIc)]. The method is extended to the preparation of the borylated fused arene [cf. (XV), (XVI)]. -(AUVINET, A.-L.; EZ-ZOUBIR, M.; BOMPARD, S.; VITALE, M. R.; BROWN, J. A.; MICHELET*, V.; RATOVELOMANANA-VIDAL, V.; ChemCatChem 5 (2013) 8, 2389-2394, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cctc.201300068 ; Lab. Charles Friedel, Chim. ParisTech, CNRS, F-75005 Paris, Fr.; Eng.) -Y. Steudel 01-121