N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) are nowadays ubiquitous and indispensable in many research fields, and it is not possible to imagine modern transition metal and main group element chemistry without the plethora of available NHCs with tailor-made electronic and steric properties. While their suitability to act as strong ligands toward transition metals has led to numerous applications of NHC complexes in homogeneous catalysis, their strong σ-donating and adaptable π-accepting abilities have also contributed to an impressive vitalization of main group chemistry with the isolation and characterization of NHC adducts of almost any element. Formally, NHC coordination to Lewis acids affords a transfer of nucleophilicity from the carbene carbon atom to the attached exocyclic moiety, and low-valent and lowcoordinate adducts of the p-block elements with available lone pairs and/or polarized carbon-element π-bonds are able to act themselves as Lewis basic donor ligands toward transition metals. Accordingly, the availability of a large number of novel NHC adducts has not only produced new varieties of already existing ligand classes but has also allowed establishment of numerous complexes with unusual and often unprecedented element−metal bonds. This review aims at summarizing this development comprehensively and covers the usage of N-heterocyclic carbene adducts of the p-block elements as ligands in transition metal chemistry.

Half-sandwich complexes of the N-heterocyclic carbene-phosphinidene adduct [(IPr)PH] (1, IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazolin-2-ylidene) were prepared by its reaction with dimeric complexes of the type [LMCl], which afforded the three-legged piano-stool complexes [LMCl{HP(IPr)}] (9a/9b: M = Ru/Os, L = η-p-cymene; 10a/10b: M = Rh/Ir, L = η-CMe). Their conversion into the corresponding carbene-phosphinidenide complexes [LMCl{P(IPr)}] (11a/11b: M = Ru/Os; 12a/12b: M = Rh/Ir) with a two-legged piano stool geometry was studied by NMR spectroscopy in the presence of the strong base 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU). Alternatively, the complexes 11 and 12 were isolated in high yields from the reactions of the carbene-phosphinidene adduct [(IPr)PTMS] (2) with [LMCl], whereby formation of the metal-phosphorus bonds was accompanied by elimination of trimethylsilyl chloride (MeSiCl). Theoretical calculations reveal a strong polarization of the phosphorus ligands upon metal complexation, which can be ascribed to the ability of the imidazole moiety to effectively stabilize a positive charge. Dehydrohalogenation of complexes 9/10 to 11/12 affords a significant increase of the metal-phosphorus bond order, with the carbene-phosphinidenide ligand acting as a strong 2σ,2π-electron donor.

A rare anion-π complex between bromide and a neutral receptor is reported and related receptor systems are studied with a series of anions. The interaction is observed in the solid state and in solution, and further evidence for it is obtained by a computational study.

Synthetic access to the zerovalent palladium complexes {[(o-Ph 2 PC 6 H 4 ) 2 BPh]Pd(L)} (L = pyridine (8a), 2,6-lutidine (8b)) is reported. Structural characterization and DFT analysis of 8a revealed a strong Pd→B interaction, which appears to inhibit oxidative addition reactions. Activation of allyl acetate is possible by reversible transfer of the acetate leaving group to the ligand's borane functionality. Catalytic activity in the allylic substitution of allyl acetate with HNEt 2 is sensitive to the presence of free acetate, which reduces borane inhibition by reversible borate formation.

The synthesis, structures, and magnetic properties of monomeric half-sandwich iron and cobalt imidazolin-2-iminato complexes have been comprehensively investigated. Salt metathesis reactions of [Cp'M(μ-I)] 2 (1-M, M = Fe, Co; Cp' = η 5 -1,2,4-tri-tertbutylcyclopentadienyl) with [Im Dipp NLi] 2 (Im Dipp N = 1,3-bis(2,6diisopropylphenyl)imidazolin-2-iminato) furnishes the terminal halfsandwich compounds [Cp'M(NIm Dipp )] (2-M, M = Fe, Co), which can be regarded as models for elusive half-sandwich iron and cobalt imido complexes. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the structure motif of a one-legged piano stool. Complex 2-Co can also be prepared by an acid−base reaction between [Cp'Co{N(SiMe 3 ) 2 }] (3-Co) and Im Dipp NH. The electronic and magnetic properties of 2-M and 3-Co were probed by 57 Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy (M = Fe), X-band EPR spectroscopy (M = Co), and solid-state magnetic susceptibility measurements. In particular, the central metal atom adopts a high-spin (S = 2) state in 2-Fe, while the cobalt complex 2-Co represents a rare example of a Co(II) species with a coordination number different from six displaying a low-spin to high-spin spin-crossover (SCO) behavior. The experimental observations are complemented by DFT calculations.