N-heterocyclic carbene transition metal complexes for catalysis in aqueous media

Abstract

The last decade has seen an increasing number of reports on the use of NHC–metal complexes for catalysis in water, therefore this review is aimed to introduce the whole research on this area, in which the use of water or aqueous/organic media is to be applied. Since the first discovery of the NHC carbenes by Arduengo, work on the synthesis of NHC–metal organometallic compounds has revolutionized the field of catalysis, gradually displacing the typical phosphine and amine-type ligands in view of their higher stability and reactivity. Aqueous catalysis has become a hot topic in Green Chemistry due to the positive implications for the use of water as reaction media.