Grubbs Gen1

Other names: first-generation Grubbs catalyst, benzylidene-bis(tri­cyclo­hexyl­phosphino)-di­chloro­ruthenium

C₄₃H₇₂Cl₂P₂Ru

9/50 common

The first-generation Grubbs catalyst is a ruthenium-based complex that revolutionized olefin metathesis, enabling efficient carbon-carbon bond formation under mild conditions and earned Bob Grubbs the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Its structure features a ruthenium center coordinated to a benzylidene ligand, two tricyclohexylphosphine (PCy₃) ligands, and two chloride ligands. In its pure form, Grubbs Gen 1 appears as a deep purple crystalline solid.