1,3-Dimethylimidazolium-2-carboxylate is formed in good yield, rather than the anticipated organic salt, 1,3-dimethylimidazolium methyl carbonate, as the reaction product resulting from both N-alkylation and C-carboxylation of 1-methylimidazole with dimethyl carbonate; the crystal structure of the zwitterion exhibits pi-stacked rings and two-dimensional sheets constructed by hydrogen-bonds from imidazolium-ring hydrogens to the carboxylate group.

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Cationic imidazolium‐2‐phosphanes were obtained by the addition of a chlorophosphane (R2PCl, R = Ph, iPr or Cy) to 1,3‐dimethylimidazolium‐2‐carboxylate without the need for a purification step. An additional anion exchange reaction with KPF6 led to the corresponding halide‐free ligands in excellent yields. The molecular structure of one of them was examined both in the solid state and in solution. The lone pair of electrons on the phosphorus atom is not delocalised to the imidazolium fragment and thus remains available for further metal coordination. As such compounds can be described as phosphenium cations stabilised by a N‐heterocarbene donor base, the electronic properties of the Lewis acceptor phosphorus centre was evaluated upon nickel tricarbonyl coordination, and the properties are surprisingly similar to those found for phosphites. The stronger π‐acceptor character of these imidazolium‐2‐phosphanes relative to that of neutral tertiary phosphanes can thus explain the higher catalytic activities observed with the corresponding rhodium complexes in styrene hydroformylation reactions. Additionally, a preliminary study of platinum coordination chemistry indicated that the steric demand of 1,3‐dimethylimidazolium‐2‐phosphanes is comparable to mixed arylalkylphosphanes. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)