The transfer semihydrogenation of alkynes to (Z)-alkenes shows excellent chemo-and stereoselectivity when using a zero-valent palladium(NHC)(maleic anhydride)-complex as pre-catalyst and triethylammonium formate as hydrogen donor. Studies on the kinetics under reaction conditions showed a broken positive order in substrate and first order in catalyst and hydrogen donor. Deuteriumlabeling studies on the hydrogen donor showed that both hydrogens of formic acid display a primary kinetic isotope effect, indicating that proton and hydride transfers are separate rate-determining steps. By monitoring the reaction with NMR we observed the presence of a coordinated formate anion and found that part of the maleic anhydride remains coordinated during the reaction. From these observations we propose a mechanism in which hydrogen transfer from formate anion to zero-valent palladium(NHC)(MA)(alkyne)-complex is followed by migratory insertion of hydride, after which the product alkene is liberated by proton transfer from the triethylammonium cation. The explanation for the 2 high selectivity observed lies in the competition between strongly coordinating solvent and alkyne for a Pd(alkene)-intermediate.

The synthesis of an air-stable series of Pd 0 complexes with dissymmetric bidentate N-heterocyclic carbene-amine ligands has been performed. The key step is an unprecedented carbene transfer from Ag I to obtain electron-rich zero-valent palladium precatalysts. The coordination behavior of the ligands was determined with X-ray crystallography. Surprising results were obtained in the catalysis of transfer semi-hydrogenation, where the addition of base appeared not to be necessary to obtain the desired product stereoselectively.

New heterobidentate N-heterocyclic carbene-triazolyl ligands and several of their palladium(II) complexes have been synthesized in a modular fashion using click chemistry. These complexes are the first examples where triazolyl-substituted NHCs exhibit bidentate behavior, which was confirmed by NMR and X-ray diffraction studies. The synthesis of the complexes could be achieved in relatively few steps by introducing the diversity at a late stage in the synthesis. The complexes are active precatalysts in the transfer semihydrogenation of alkynes to Z-alkenes, with activity and selectivity depending on the triazolyl substituent and the NHC nitrogen substituent. Selectivities as high as 99% were observed.