Mechanochemical synthesis of Cu(i)-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes

Abstract

We report a general, operationally simple and scalable mechanochemical method for the synthesis of [Cu(Cl)(NHC)] complexes. This solid-state and solvent-less methodology was shown to be applicable to a wide range of NHC ligand precursors, allowing access to complexes of the type [Cu(Cl)(NHC)] under aerobic conditions and with minimised environmental impact.