A series of bidentate oxazoline-NHC ligands has been synthesized in which the two heterocycles are connected by a CH 2 linker. The corresponding rhodium(I) complexes were prepared by direct deprotonation of the imidazolium halide salts followed by the addition of a solution of [Rh(nbd)Cl] 2 at low temperature. The cationic square planar rhodium complexes were generated by halide abstraction via addition of an excess of KPF 6 in a CH 2 Cl 2 /water solvent system. Alternatively, the deprotonation of the imidazolium hexafluorophosphates and reaction with [Rh(nbd)Cl] 2 directly gave the complex cations. These as well as oxazoline-NHC systems, in