Unexpected C carbene −X (X: I, Br, Cl) Reductive Elimination from N-Heterocyclic Carbene Copper Halide Complexes Under Oxidative Conditions

The non-innocent behaviors of NHC ligands have attracted wide attention due to their important implications for catalyst designs and reaction mechanisms. Herein, we report facile C(carbene)-halogen reductive eliminations from NHC copper halide complexes at RT under oxidative conditions. Density functional calculations on a simplified model system suggest that the reactions occur through oxidation of Cu(I) to Cu(III) species followed by C(carbene)-halogen reductive eliminations from NHC Cu(III) halide complexes. Remarkably short C(carbene)-chloride contacts and rare interactions between the chloride lone pair electrons and the C(carbene)p(π) orbital were found for the calculated NHC Cu(III) chlorides. The facile C(carbene)-X reductive elimination reported here warrants consideration as a potential decomposition pathway in reactions involving NHC-supported high-valent metal complexes, especially with late transition metals.