Another silver complex of 1,3-dibenzylimidazol-2-ylidene: Solution and solid-state structures

The reaction of 1,3-dibenzylimidazolium bromide (Bn2Im · HBr) with silver(I) oxide yields the dinuclear compound {(Bn2Im)AgBr}2 as determined with X-ray crystallography. The structure turned out to differ significantly from the mononuclear complex (Bn2Im)2AgBr that was reported during our studies. It appears that the various structures are a result of different crystallization conditions. A new classification of solid-state structures of these and other silver(I) complexes containing monodentate N-heterocyclic carbenes is presented.