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Updated: Oct 26, 2025

Palladium N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: Synthesis from Benzimidazolium Salts and Catalytic Activity in Carbon-carbon Bond-forming Reactions
Published on: July 30, 2017
Continuous Flow Synthesis of [Au(NHC)(Aryl)] (NHC=N-Heterocyclic Carbene) Complexes
Thibault Cauwenbergh1, Nikolaos V Tzouras1, Thomas Scattolin1
1Department of Chemistry and Centre for Sustainable Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, S3, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
Abstract:
The use of weak and inexpensive bases has recently opened promising perspectives towards the simpler and more sustainable synthesis of Au(I)-aryl complexes with valuable applications in catalysis, medicinal chemistry, and materials science. In recent years, continuous manufacturing has shown to be a reliable partner in establishing sustainable and controlled process scalability. Herein, the first continuous flow synthesis of a range of Au(I)-aryl starting from widely available boronic acids and various [Au(NHC)Cl] (NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene) complexes in unprecedentedly short reaction times and high yields is reported. Successful synthesis of previously non- or poorly accessible complexes exposed fascinating reactivity patterns. Via a gram-scale synthesis, convenient process scalability of the developed protocol was showcased.
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