Facile displacement of η5-cyclopentadienyl ligands from half-sandwich alkyl,NHC–nickel complexes: an original route to robust cis-C,C-nickel square planar complexes

Abstract

The η⁵-cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ligands of 18-electron half-sandwich alkyl,NHC–nickel complexes are readily displaced under acidic conditions to afford a novel class of cis-C,C-nickel square planar complexes. Remarkably, the nickel–alkyl and nickel–carbene bonds are not ruptured in these unprecedented Cp acidolysis reactions.