Supported N-heterocyclic carbene complexes in catalysis

N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have been known to be outstanding ligands for a variety of organometallic complexes that are key components in catalysis. For the past 10 years, interest has grown towards tethered versions of this type of ligands onto a variety of supports including polymers and silica. In this report, we review current approaches to supported NHC-based complexes and catalysts. In particular, supported versions of olefin metathesis catalysts and palladium catalysts for coupling chemistries are described. While the first supported NHC catalysts have been reported less than 10 years ago, this blossoming area has increased exponentially since then and offers interesting perspectives for the future of supported catalysts. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.