Cross-Metathesis: Efficient Preparation of Trialkyl-Substituted Isoprenoid Olefins as Key-Intermediates for Tocopherol Synthesis

A summary of the application of ruthenium catalyzed olefin cross-metathesis towards the synthesis of tocopherols (vitamin E) is given. This group of biologically important fat-soluble antioxidants is synthetically available by various routes, for which key-intermediates containing trialkyl-substituted olefinic double bonds can now be prepared efficiently. The results presented may be of interest for the area of syntheses of isoprenoid natural products in general.