N-Heterocyclic Carbene Rhodium Complexes: Conformational Analysis and Catalytic Studies

N-Heterocyclic Carbene Rhodium Complexes: Conformational Analysis and Catalytic Studies G. Solinasa, M. A. Bruckaa, M. C. Cassania, C. Femonia, R. Mazzonia, M. Mancinellib, A. Mazzantib aDipartimento di Chimica Fisica ed Inorganica, Università di Bologna, viale Risorgimento, 4, Bologna bDipartimento di Chimica Organica “A. Mangini”, Università di Bologna, viale Risorgimento, 4 Bologna gavino.solinas2@unibo.it N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have attracted considerable attention as a new class of ligands over the past decade1 and recently our research in this field has been dealing with the syntheses of rhodium(I) complexes presenting axial chirality and catalitically active in the hydrosilylation of terminal alkynes and in the addition of arylaldehydes with phenylboronic acid.2 We now present the synthesis, characterization (X-ray, VT NMR, DFT calculation) and catalysis of the new NHC-Rh(I) complexes shown below. Preliminary studies on NHC-Fe(II) complexes will be also presented and discussed. References 1. Mercs, L.; Albrecht, M. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2010, 39, 1903. (b) Diez-Gonzalez, S.; Marion, N.; Nolan, S. P. Chem. Rev. 2009, 109, 3612. 2, Busetto L.; Cassani, M.C.; Femoni, C.; Mancinelli, M.; Mazzanti, A.; Mazzoni, R.; Solinas, G. Organometallics 2011, 30, 5258.