Surveying Sterically Demanding N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands with Restricted Flexibility for Palladium-catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions

Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), especially monodentate ones, have become the ligand of choice for many transition-metal-catalyzed transformations. They generally form highly stable complexes, have strong sigma-donor character, and have a unique shape that can be used to generate sterically demanding ligands.In this Account, we survey recent developments in the design and synthesis of some sterically demanding NHCs with a particularly strong influence on the metal's coordination sphere. We show the successful and insightful application of these ligands in transition-metal catalysis. First, we discuss methods for determining and classifying the electronic and steric properties of NHCs. In addition, we present data…