COMMUNICATIONS ethane (33.3 mol%) and nitrogen, with or without any additive (higher alkanes or olefins), as the feed at a space velocity of 6100+_ 100 cm3 g-' h-* w' ith a squarepulse technique descrlbed earlier [21]. The space velocity was measured at 0 "C and 1 atm. Conversion X in %, S,, in %, and yield of arene based on ethane conversion ( YArlCIHs) in %) were determined as follows: X = [{(wt% of reactant in the feed hydrocarbons) -(wt% of reactant in the product hydrocarbons)}/(wt% of reactant in the feed hydrocarbons)] x 100; S,, = [(wt% of arenes in the hydrocarbon products)/{l00 -wt% of reactant(s) in the hydrocarbon products]] x 100; YAr,Cz",, = (XS*,)/~OO.Angew (%en?. Int. G I EngI. 1997, 36, N o . 12 :(; VCH Ve~lrigsgesrilrcbfi~ mhH, 0-69451 Wi+diein?. I997 0570-OH33!Y7~3612-1309 S 17.56 +.SO 0 Experimental Section General procedure for ruthenium benzylidene catalyzed RCM : Under exclusion from air and moisture, 1 (5 mol%) in CH,CI, was added to a 0.01 M solution of the diolefin (typically 200 to 900 mg) in CH,CI,. After the mixture was stirred for 6 h at room temperature, additional catalyst (5 mol%) was added, and stirring continued for 6 h. The solvent was then removed under reduced pressure, and the crude reaction mixture purified by repeated column chromatography (silica gel, CH,CI,/ MeOH 9614 viv) to yield the [2]catenates as burgundy solids. All compounds were characterized by NMR spectrscopy, FAB-MS, and elemental analysis.