Dramatic Enhancement of Olefin Metathesis Activity for CH3ReO3 upon Chlorination of γ-Al2O3

Chlorinating γ-Al₂O₃ significantly increases the activity of supported CH₃ReO₃ in olefin metathesis by increasing the number of active sites and the per-site activity. A direct interaction between Cl and Re, evidenced through EXAFS and solid state NMR, is associated with the active sites and/or their immediate precursors.