Metathesis of hex-1-ene in ionic liquids catalyzed by WCl6

Metathesis of hex-1-ene in ionic liquids catalyzed by WCl₆ was studied. The metathesis is preceded by isomerization of hex-1-ene to hex-2-ene, from which the main reaction product, viz., oct-4-ene, is derived. The WCl₆-1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIM·BF₄) system efficiently catalyzes metathesis of linear olefin, the ionic liquid serving as the reaction medium by forming a stable homogeneous catalytic system with WCl₆. The yields of the metathesis products increase with increasing reaction temperature. The addition of tin-containing promoters leads to a substantial increase in the reaction rate. In the WCl₆-BMIM·BF₄-SnBu₄ system, the selectivity of the formation of oct-4-ene is significantly enhanced.__________Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 2094–2097, October, 2004.