Four pyridinyl alcohols and the corresponding hemilabile pyridinyl alcoholato ruthenium carbene complexes of the Grubbs second generation-type RuCl(H 2 IMes)(OˆN)(=CHPh), where,1-phenyl methanolato and 1-(2 -pyridinyl)-1-(2 -methoxyphenyl),1-phenyl methanolato, are synthesized in very good yields. At high temperatures, the precatalysts showed high stability, selectivity and activity in 1-octene metathesis compared to the Grubbs first and second generation precatalysts. The 2-/4-chloro-and 4-methoxy-substituted pyridinyl alcoholato ligand-containing ruthenium precatalysts showed high performance in the 1-octene metathesis reaction in the range 80-110 • C. The hemilabile 4-methoxy-substituted pyridinyl alcoholato ligand improved the catalyst stability, activity and selectivity for 1-octene metathesis significantly at 110 • C.

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The paper presents a comprehensive survey on the synthetic procedures of transition metal complexes of α-pyridinyl alcoholato, α-bipyridinyl alcoholato, α,α’-pyridinyl dialcoholato and α,α’-bipyridinyl dialcoholato ligands and their coordination chemistry. Greater emphasis is, however, given to the catalytic activity of the complexes in homogeneous and asymmetric chemical reactions. The multidentate character of the pyridinyl alcohols and/or bipyridinyl diols is of great importance in the complexation with a large number and type of transition metals. The transition metal complexes of pyridinyl alcoholato or bipyridinyl dialcoholato ligands in most cases, and a few pyridinyl alcohols alone, were used as catalysts in homogeneous and chemical asymmetric reactions. In most of the homogeneously catalysed enantioselective chemical reactions, limited numbers and types of pyridinyl alcohols and or bipyridinyl diols were used in the preparation of chiral catalysts that led to a few investigations on the catalytic importance of the pyridinyl alcohols.