First examples of dipyrido[1,2-c:2′,1′-e]imidazolin-7-ylidenes serving as NHC-ligands: Synthesis, properties and structural features of their chromium and tungsten pentacarbonyl complexes

The first use of dipyridocarbenes as Arduengo–Wanzlick type carbene ligands for transition metal complexes is reported. The complexes M(CO)5L (L = dipyridoimidazolinylidene, di-tert-butyldipyridoimidazolinylidene, M = Cr, W) were synthesized and their spectroscopic and structural properties compared with the literature known N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) group 6 metal pentacarbonyl complexes. This reveals that the 13C NMR carbene signals of theses complexes with dipyrido carbene ligands show the strongest high-field shift ever observed for M(CO)5(NHC) (M = Cr, W) complexes. The structural characterization shows alternating single and double bonds in the conjugated dipyrido moiety of the ligand.