Transition-metal-catalyzed reactions involving imidazolium salt/N-heterocyclic carbene couples as substrates

Reactive Couples: Imidazolium salts react with alkenes under mild conditions in the presence of a Ni0-based catalyst to produce 2-alkyl imidazolium salts (see scheme, cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene). The mechanism involves oxidative addition of an imidazolium C-H bond to M0 to give a (carbene)M-H intermediate and finally bond formation between the carbene and an alkyl ligand through reductive elimination.