Olefin metathesis over UV-irradiated silica

Photoirradiated silica evacuated at temperatures higher than 800 K was found to be active for olefin metathesis reactions. The analysis of products shows that the metalacyclobutane intermediate is likely. The instantaneous response of the reaction to the irradiation and the activity change with various UV filter showed that the reaction is induced by UV-excitation of silica. The correlation between the evacuation temperature and the activity showed that the surface free from water molecules plays a role in the reaction and the removal of isolated OH groups strongly relates to the generation of active sites.