Over the years, the success of homogeneous catalysis can be attributed largely to the development of a diverse range of ligand frameworks that have been used to tune the behavior of the various systems. Spectacular results in this area have been achieved using cyclic diaminocarbenes, the so-called N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), mainly because of their strong s-donor properties. Although it is possible to cursorily tune the structure of NHCs, any diversity is still far from matching their phosphorus-based counterparts, which is one of the great strengths of the latter. Beginning with our discovery in 1988 of a bottle-able (phosphino)(silyl)carbene, a variety of stable acyclic carbenes are known, but they give rise to fragile metal complexes. During the recent years, we have discovered new types of stable cyclic carbenes, as well as related carbon-based ligands, which are not NHCs, and which feature even stronger s-donor properties than NHCs. The synthesis, characterization, stability, electronic properties, coordination behavior, and catalytic activity of complexes bearing our ligands will be presented, and comparisons with their NHC cousins will be discussed.We will also described a novel type of L ligands, isoelectronic with amines and phosphines, but based on boron.

Award Address  (ACS Award in Inorganic Chemistry sponsored by Aldrich Chemical Company, LLC). Stable carbenes and related species: Powerful tools in organic, inorganic and organometallic chemistry

247th National Meeting (2014)

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