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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Palladium N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: Synthesis from Benzimidazolium Salts and Catalytic Activity in Carbon-carbon Bond-forming Reactions
Published on: July 30, 2017
N-heterocyclic carbenes: organocatalysts displaying diverse modes of action
1Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany. kirsten.zeitler@chemie.uni-regensburg.de
Abstract:
Within the context of Lewis base catalysis N-heterocyclic carbenes represent an extremely versatile class of organocatalyst that allows for a great variety of different transformations. Starting from the early investigations on benzoin, and later Stetter reactions, the mechanistic diversity of N-heterocyclic carbenes, depending on their properties, has led to the development of several unprecedented catalytic reactions. This article will provide an overview of the versatile reactivity of N-heterocyclic carbenes.
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