N-Heterocyclic carbenes have become universal ligands in organometallic and inorganic coordination chemistry. They not only bind to any transition metal, be it in low or high oxidation states, but also to main group elements such as beryllium, sulfur, and iodine. Because of their specific coordination chemistry, N-heterocyclic carbenes both stabilize and activate metal centers in quite different key catalytic steps of organic syntheses, for example, C-H activation, C-C, C-H, C-O, and C-N bond formation. There is now ample evidence that in the new generation of organometallic catalysts the established ligand class of organophosphanes will be supplemented and, in part, replaced by N-heterocyclic carbenes. Over the past few years, this chemistry has been the field of vivid scientific competition, and yielded previously unexpected successes in key areas of homogeneous catalysis. From the work in numerous academic laboratories and in industry, a revolutionary turning point in oraganometallic catalysis is emerging.

http://aether.cmi.ua.ac.be/artikels/Artikels%20Gitte/Artikels/Reviews/NHC-%20liganden%20Herrmann.pdf

N-heterocyclic carbenes: a new concept in organometallic catalysis.

s, or keywords if they used Heck-type chemistry in their syntheses, because it became one of basic tools of organic preparations, a natural way to

http://aether.cmi.ua.ac.be/artikels/Artikels%20Gitte/Artikels/Reviews/Heck%20reactie%20Beletskaya%20%20Chem.%20Rev.%20003009.pdf

The heck reaction as a sharpening stone of palladium catalysis.

Once considered the 'holy grail' of organometallic chemistry, synthetically useful reactions employing C-H bond activation have increasingly been developed and applied to natural product and drug synthesis over the past decade. The ubiquity and relative low cost of hydrocarbons makes C-H bond functionalization an attractive alternative to classical C-C bond forming reactions such as cross-coupling, which require organohalides and organometallic reagents. In addition to providing an atom economical alternative to standard cross - coupling strategies, C-H bond functionalization also reduces the production of toxic by-products, thereby contributing to the growing field of reactions with decreased environmental impact. In the area of C-C bond forming reactions that proceed via a C-H activation mechanism, rhodium catalysts stand out for their functional group tolerance and wide range of synthetic utility. Over the course of the last decade, many Rh-catalyzed methods for heteroatom-directed C-H bond functionalization have been reported and will be the focus of this review. Material appearing in the literature prior to 2001 has been reviewed previously and will only be introduced as background when necessary. The synthesis of complex molecules from relatively simple precursors has long been a goal for many organic chemists. The ability to selectively functionalize a molecule with minimal pre-activation can streamline syntheses and expand the opportunities to explore the utility of complex molecules in areas ranging from the pharmaceutical industry to materials science. Indeed, the issue of selectivity is paramount in the development of all C-H bond functionalization methods. Several groups have developed elegant approaches towards achieving selectivity in molecules that possess many sterically and electronically similar C-H bonds. Many of these approaches are discussed in detail in the accompanying articles in this special issue of Chemical Reviews. One approach that has seen widespread success involves the use of a proximal heteroatom that serves as a directing group for the selective functionalization of a specific C-H bond. In a survey of examples of heteroatom-directed Rh catalysis, two mechanistically distinct reaction pathways are revealed. In one case, the heteroatom acts as a chelator to bind the Rh catalyst, facilitating reactivity at a proximal site. In this case, the formation of a five-membered metallacycle provides a favorable driving force in inducing reactivity at the desired location. In the other case, the heteroatom initially coordinates the Rh catalyst and then acts to stabilize the formation of a metal-carbon bond at a proximal site. A true test of the utility of a synthetic method is in its application to the synthesis of natural products or complex molecules. Several groups have demonstrated the applicability of C-H bond functionalization reactions towards complex molecule synthesis. Target-oriented synthesis provides a platform to test the effectiveness of a method in unique chemical and steric environments. In this respect, Rh-catalyzed methods for C-H bond functionalization stand out, with several syntheses being described in the literature that utilize C-H bond functionalization in a key step. These syntheses are highlighted following the discussion of the method they employ.

/pdf/rhodium-catalyzed-c-c-bond-formation-via-heteroatom-directed-1wd3dm1jdi.pdf

Rhodium-Catalyzed C-C Bond Formation via Heteroatom-Directed C-H Bond Activation

The successful isolation and characterization of an N-heterocyclic carbene in 1991 opened up a new class of organic compounds for investigation. From these beginnings as academic curiosities, N-heterocyclic carbenes today rank among the most powerful tools in organic chemistry, with numerous applications in commercially important processes. Here we provide a concise overview of N-heterocyclic carbenes in modern chemistry, summarizing their general properties and uses and highlighting how these features are being exploited in a selection of pioneering recent studies.

An overview of N-heterocyclic carbenes

Late-metal catalysts for ethylene homo- and copolymerization.

Donor-Functionalized Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes of Palladium(II): Efficient Catalysts for C−C Coupling Reactions

The complete basis set method CBS-QB3 was used in conjunction with the CPCM solvation model to predict both the absolute and relative pKa's of 12 nucleophilic carbenes in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO),...

Basicity of nucleophilic carbenes in aqueous and nonaqueous solvents-theoretical predictions.

Zerovalent palladium and nickel complexes of heterocyclic carbenes: Oxidative addition of organic halides, carbon-carbon coupling processes, and the Heck reaction

This review focuses on the latest advances in homogeneous catalysis with donor-functionalised (donor = C, N, O, S or P) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes of group 9 and 10 metals. The applications of such complexes to C–C coupling reactions, alkyne and ketone hydrosilylation, olefin polymerisation, transfer hydrogenation, asymmetric hydrogenation and other catalysed reactions are discussed.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)

Kingsley J. Cavell

Papers

Donor-Functionalized Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes of Palladium(II): Efficient Catalysts for C−C Coupling Reactions

Basicity of nucleophilic carbenes in aqueous and nonaqueous solvents-theoretical predictions.

Zerovalent palladium and nickel complexes of heterocyclic carbenes: Oxidative addition of organic halides, carbon-carbon coupling processes, and the Heck reaction

Donor-Functionalised N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes of Group 9 and 10 Metals in Catalysis: Trends and Directions

Redox processes involving hydrocarbylmetal (N-heterocyclic carbene) complexes and associated imidazolium salts: ramifications for catalysis