Issue 18, 2017

Quantifying and understanding the steric properties of N-heterocyclic carbenes

Abstract

This Feature Article presents and discusses the use of different methods to quantify and explore the steric impact of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands. These include (a) the percent buried volume (%Vbur), which provides a convenient single number to measure steric impact and (b) steric maps, which provide a graphical representation of the steric profile of a ligand using colour-coded contour maps. A critical discussion of the scope and limitations of these tools is presented, along with some examples of their use in organometallic chemistry and catalysis. This Article should provide all users of NHCs, from organic, organometallic, and inorganic chemistry backgrounds, with an appreciation of how these tools can be used to quantify and compare their steric properties.

Graphical abstract: Quantifying and understanding the steric properties of N-heterocyclic carbenes

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Feature Article
Submitted
11 jan 2017
Accepted
09 feb 2017
First published
09 feb 2017

Chem. Commun., 2017,53, 2650-2660

Quantifying and understanding the steric properties of N-heterocyclic carbenes

A. Gómez-Suárez, D. J. Nelson and S. P. Nolan, Chem. Commun., 2017, 53, 2650 DOI: 10.1039/C7CC00255F

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