NHC Nickel and Iron Systems for Efficient C–H Bond Functionalization

N-heterocyclic carbenes have profoundly re-shaped the homogeneous catalysis landscape [1].
While initial focus has been directed on catalysis with precious metals (and has led to
unfortunate terms like ‘super-phosphines’), more recent efforts have addressed sustainability
aspects and aimed at utilizing Earth-abundant first row transition metals for catalyst
development [2]. One challenge in these endeavors roots in the hard-soft mismatch of the
often higher-valent transition metal and the carbene donor site, which weakens the stability of
the M–C bond and may compromise catalyst integrity. We will discuss different strategies to
meet this challenge and to develop efficient first row transition metal NHC catalysts for the
oxidation[3] and for (intramolecular) amination of unactivated C–H bonds [4], including the
mechanistically informed improvement of their activity to beat current benchmarks.
We thank the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) for continuous support of this work.
References
[1] N-Heterocyclic Carbenes: From Laboratory Curiosities to Efficient Synthetic Tools, RSC Catalysis
Series (Ed. S. Diez-Gonzalez), RSC , Cambridge, 2017.
[2] W. Stroek, M. Albrecht, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2024, 53, 6322–6344.
[3] G. Rigoni, S. Bertini, F. C. Bühler, M. Albrecht, ACS Catal. 2026, in press (DOI:
10.1021/acscatal.6c00999).
[4] W. Stroek, M. Keilwerth, D. Pividori, K. Meyer, M. Albrecht, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 20157–
20165. W. Stroek, N. V. A. Rowlinson, L. A. Hudson, M. Albrecht, Inorg. Chem. 2024, 63, 17134–
17140. W. Stroek, N. V. A. Rowlinson, L. A. Hudson, M. Albrecht, Chem. Commun. 2025, 61,
15274–15277.