Recent developments in the applications of palladium complexes bearing N-heterocyclic carbene ligands

Abstract

N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands have become ubiquitous ligands in the preparation of metal complexes with new catalytic applications. Mainly due to their applications in C-C bond formation reactions, a plethora of novel palladium-NHC complexes has been described, and a large number of review articles describing their chemistry have been published. In an attempt to provide a new vision of the topic, this article will focus our attention on the development of new palladium complexes with NHC ligands, paying special attention to their applications in catalytic processes other than the classical C-C coupling reactions. This article is divided in the following sections: i) design of reusable Pd-NHC complexes, ii) latest advances in the use of Pd- NHC complexes in homogenous catalysis and, iii) other applications of Pd-NHC complexes.