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N-Heterocyclic Carbenes: An Introductory Overview

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N-Heterocyclic Carbenes in Transition Metal Catalysis and Organocatalysis

Part of the book series: Catalysis by Metal Complexes ((CMCO,volume 32))

Abstract

N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are probably the class of ligands that not only has attracted the most attention during the past decade, but also for which the greatest advances have been made. These include a wider availability, applicability and understanding. In this chapter, an overview of all aspects of NHCs is given, starting with an historical discussion that begins almost a century ago. An inventory of the structural diversity of NHCs found in the literature is given, followed by the nomenclature of NHCs and the trivial names used. A section is devoted to the synthetic strategies developed for the formation of NHC-precursors, NHC ligands and NHC-complexes. The most diagnostic spectroscopic features of NHCs and NHC complexes are listed as well as the manner in which NHCs are usually represented. NHCs have become indubitably one of the most important and unique class of ligands as they have very distinctive and interesting electronic and steric features. A large section of this chapter is hence devoted to the discussion of these features and presents the recent advances made for determination of NHC properties and their understanding.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully thank Thibault Schmid for recording the NMR spectra shown in Section 1.1.5.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Salerno, Via ponte don Melillo, 84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy

    Luigi Cavallo

  2. EaStCHEM School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK

    Catherine S. J. Cazin

Authors
  1. Luigi Cavallo
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  2. Catherine S. J. Cazin
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Luigi Cavallo or Catherine S. J. Cazin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9ST, United Kingdom

    Catherine S.J. Cazin

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Cavallo, L., Cazin, C.S.J. (2010). N-Heterocyclic Carbenes: An Introductory Overview. In: Cazin, C. (eds) N-Heterocyclic Carbenes in Transition Metal Catalysis and Organocatalysis. Catalysis by Metal Complexes, vol 32. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2866-2_1

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