Transition-metal-catalyzed reactions involving imidazolium salt/N-heterocyclic carbene couples as substrates

Reactive Couples: Imidazolium salts react with alkenes under mild conditions in the presence of a Ni0-based catalyst to produce 2-alkyl imidazolium salts (see scheme, cod=1,5-cyclooctadiene). The mechanism involves oxidative addition of an imidazolium CH bond to M0 to give a (carbene)MH intermediate and finally bond formation between the carbene and an alkyl ligand through reductive elimination