A stable N-heterocyclic carbene with a diboron backbone

The synthesis of a novel five-membered inorganic ring, a stable N-heterocyclic carbene with a diboron backbone, is reported. A pentacarbonyltungsten complex containing the new carbene is also described. Spectroscopic evidence indicates that the sterically encumbered carbene is a better sigma-donor than classical N-heterocyclic analogues, demonstrating the significant influence of the inorganic backbone on the coordinating properties of the carbon ligand. Crystal structures have been determined for an iminium precursor, the free carbene, and the tungsten complex.     

N-heterocyclic carbene catalyzed ring expansion of 4-formyl-beta-lactams: synthesis of succinimide derivatives

N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) has been employed as an efficient catalyst for ring expansion of 4-formyl-beta-lactams, allowing the facile synthesis of succinimide derivatives. This organocatalytic process features readily availability of the catalyst, low catalyst loading, and mild reaction conditions.     

Template synthesis of tungsten complexes with saturated N-heterocyclic carbene ligands

Tungsten complex with a coordinated 2-azidoethyl isocyanide ligand reacts with PMe3 at the azido function to give a complex with a coordinated iminophosphorane which upon hydrolysis of the P=N bond yields a complex with an NH,NH-stabilized N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, 7; alkylation of the carbene ring nitrogen atoms gives a complex with an N,N'-dialkylated imidazolidin-2-ylidene ligand, 8 .     

Unexpected ring expansion of an enantiopure imidazoline carbene ligand

[reaction: see text] We report an unexpected ring expansion reaction of an enantiopure fenchone-derived imidazolinium salt during attempts to form copper complexes of the corresponding imidazoline carbene ligand. A N,N'-difenchyl piperazinone was formed in low yield together with the difenchyl-substituted five-membered urea.     

Olefin metathesis catalyst: stabilization effect of backbone substitutions of N-heterocyclic carbene

Ruthenium olefin metathesis catalysts bearing an N-phenyl-substituted N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand that are resistant to decomposition through C-H activation have been prepared and tested in ring closing metathesis (RCM), cross metathesis (CM), and ROMP reactions. The N, N'-diphenyl-substituted NHC complex proved to be one of the most efficient catalysts in RCM to form tetrasubstituted olefins.     

Hemilabile behavior of a thioether-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene ligand

The truly hemilabile nature of a novel thioether-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene ligand is demonstrated in a range of Pd(II) complexes.     

Unsymmetrically N,N'-substituted saturated carbenes: synthesis, reactivity and preparation of a rhodium(I) carbene complex

A versatile synthesis of unsymmetrically N,N'-substituted saturated carbenes is described. The novel racemic imidazolidin-2-ylidenes rac-5 have been synthesized by reductive desulfurization of the corresponding imidazolidin-2-thiones rac-4. The thiones were prepared in two reaction steps from aldimines and secondary amines. Three different substituents at N1, N3 and C4 of the five-membered N-heterocyclic ring can be introduced by choice of suitable aldimines and secondary amines. The dimerization behaviour (diaminocarbene/enetetramine equilibrium) for the unsymmetrically N,N'-substituted imidazolidin-2-ylidenes has been investigated by NMR spectroscopy. Unsymmetrically N-iPr and N-iBu substituted N-heterocyclic carbenes undergo a slow dimerization, whereas N-tBu substituted derivatives are stable as monomeric carbenes indefinitely. The carbene ligand rac-5d has been coordinated to rhodium(I) to give the square-planar rhodium carbene complex [Cl(cod)Rh(rac-5d)]rac-6d which has been characterized by an X-ray diffraction analysis.     

A benzimidazole-based N-heterocyclic carbene derived from 1,10-phenanthroline

[reaction: see text] A catalytically active palladium-complexed tetracyclic N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) was prepared in three steps from commercially available 1,10-phenanthroline by using a reduction-cyclization-deprotonation sequence. The new carbene framework is a prototype for the development of a series of chiral N-heterocyclic carbenes.     

Development of an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand based on concept of chiral mimetic

Development of a new N-heterocyclic carbene ligand based on the concept of a chiral mimetic is described. In Pd-catalyzed enantioselective intramolecular α-arylation of N-(2-bromophenyl)-N-methyl-2-arylpropanamide, (4R,5R)-4,5-diphenyl-1,3-diadamantylmethyl-4,5-dihydro-3H-imidazol-1-ium tetrafluoroborate is shown to function as a good N-heterocyclic carbene precursor.     

Titanium N-heterocyclic carbene complexes incorporating an imidazolium-linked bis(phenol)

The synthesis and characterization of titanium complexes of the aryloxido-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene ligand (L) is reported, in which the tridentate L ligand meridionally coordinates to the metal center.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of a silver complex of a mixed-donor N-heterocyclic carbene linked cyclophane

The synthesis of a dicationic imidazolium-linked cyclophane and a dimeric silver-N-heterocyclic carbene complex, that is the first silver complex with a N-heterocyclic carbene ligand involved in a pi-bonding interaction, is reported.     

Modular synthesis of heterocyclic carbene precursors

A series of N-heterocyclic carbene precursors, containing an imidazoline or tetrahydropyrimidine framework, were prepared from omega-chloroalkanoyl chlorides. The sequential attachment of nitrogen nucleophiles and subsequent ring closure gave, depending on the reagents used, either the desired dihydroimidazolium and tetrahydropyrimidinium salts or their parent heterocycles. In this latter case, the second substituent was introduced in an alkylation step. The preparation of carbene precursors bearing chiral or bulky substituents was acieved with comparable efficiency.     

Function of an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand based on concept of chiral mimetic

Function of a new N-heterocyclic carbene ligand based on the concept of a chiral mimetic is described. With (4R,5R)-4,5-diphenyl-1,3-dialkyl-4,5-dihydro-3H-imidazol-1-ium tetrafluoroborates as N-heterocyclic carbene precursors, Rh-catalyzed enantioselective arylation (up to 27% ee) of aromatic aldehydes with arylboronic acids and Pd-catalyzed enantioselective intramolecular alpha-arylation (up to 66% ee) of N-(2-bromoaryl)-N-alkyl-2-arylpropanamides are investigated.     

Total syntheses of (S)-(-)-zearalenone and lasiodiplodin reveal superior metathesis activity of ruthenium carbene complexes with imidazol-2-ylidene ligands

Total syntheses of the bioactive orsellinic acid derivatives zearalenone 3 and lasiodiplodin 1 are reported based on a ring-closing metathesis (RCM) reaction of styrene precursors as the key steps. These and closely related macrocyclizations are catalyzed with high efficiency by the "second generation" ruthenium carbene catalyst 5 bearing a N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, whereas the standard Grubbs carbene 4 fails to afford any cyclized product. Only the (E)-isomer of the macrocyclic cycloalkene is formed in all cases. The substrates for RCM can be obtained either via a Stille cross-coupling reaction of tributylvinylstannane or, even more efficiently, by Heck reactions of the aryl triflate precursors with pressurized ethene. Furthermore, the synthesis of 1 via RCM is compared with an alternative approach employing a low-valent titanium-induced McMurry coupling of dialdehyde 47 for the formation of the large ring. This direct comparison clearly ends in favor of metathesis which turned out to be superior in all preparatively relevant respects.     

Bent metal carbene geometries in amido N-heterocyclic carbene complexes

Lithium(I) and uranium(VI) amido-tethered Bu(t)-substituted N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes exhibit very distorted metal-carbene bonds; the corresponding magnesium(II) and mesityl-substituted NHC uranium(VI) complexes are undistorted; the distortion does not affect the ligand binding strength, suggesting a dominance of electrostatic character in closed-shell electropositive metal-carbene bonds.     

Iron-catalyzed arylmagnesiation of aryl(alkyl)acetylenes in the presence of an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand

Addition of arylmagnesium bromides to aryl(alkyl)acetylenes proceeded in the presence of an iron catalyst and a N-heterocyclic carbene ligand to give high yields of the corresponding alkenylmagnesium reagents, which were transformed into tetrasubstituted alkenes by subsequent treatment with electrophiles. [reaction: see text]     

Chiral N-heterocyclic carbene ligands for asymmetric catalytic oxindole synthesis

The Pd-catalysed asymmetric intramolecular alpha-arylation of amide enolates containing heteroatom substituents gives chiral 3-alkoxy or 3-aminooxindoles in high yield and with enantioselectivities up to 97% ee when a new chiral N-heterocyclic carbene ligand is used.     

Chelating alkoxy-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes of silver and copper

Incorporation of an alkoxide functional group into an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand allows the synthesis of the first anionic NHC chelating ligands, which react to give the first neutral, molecular silver(I) alkoxide carbene complex, and a copper(I) derivative containing the first nonmacrocyclic, square planar Cu(I) centres.     

What difference one double bond makes: Electronic structure of saturated and unsaturated n-heterocyclic carbene ligands in Grubbs 2nd generation-type catalysts

N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands are a versatile and useful class of ligands that have enjoyed much success over the past few decades in organometallic chemistry. This fact is exemplified most convincingly in Grubbs 2nd generation olefin metathesis catalysts. We explore the electronic impact of the NHC-ligand by decoupling electronic and steric effects through simplified model N-heterocyclic carbenes. Saturated and unsaturated N-heterocyclic carbene ligands give rise to fundamentally different frontier orbitals in these catalysts, suggesting a need to classify them as two electronically distinct ligand classes.     

Development of efficient catalytic arylation of aldehydes with thioether-imidazolinium carbene ligands

Effective methods of ligand design have been highly sought due to the significant roles of ligands in controlling metal catalyses. In particular, easy-to-handle ligands to realize high reaction efficacy, substrate tolerance, and environmental friendliness are desirable. Novel bidentate ligands containing N-heterocyclic carbene and thioether moieties were developed based on findings of hemilabile coordination, whose precursors were crystalline solids stable enough to handle and store in the air. The thioether-imidazolinium carbene ligand successfully brought out high catalyst performance of palladium in the catalytic arylation of aldehydes with organoboron reagents, which tolerated a diverse range of substrates including poorly reactive, sterically hindered, and heterocyclic compounds. This process was applied to gram-scale synthesis using only water as solvent with high efficiency and also achieved the effective one-pot synthesis of 3-arylphthalides known as useful biologically active agents and important synthetic intermediates for naturally occurring compounds.