Chemistry of Iron N -heterocyclic carbene complexes: Syntheses, structures, reactivities, and catalytic applications

Iron is the most abundant transition metal in Earth's crust. It is relatively inexpensive, not very toxic, and environmentally benign. Undoubtedly, due to the involvement in a multitude of biological processes, which heavily rely on the rich functionalities of iron-containing enzymes, iron is one of the most important elements in nature. Additionally, three-coordinate iron complexes have been reported during the past several years. In this review, the mentioned iron NHC complexes are categorized by their main structure and reactivity attributes. Thus, monocarbene and bis-monocarbene complexes are presented first. This class is subdivided into carbonyl, nitrosyl, and halide compounds followed by a brief section on other, more unconventional iron NHC motifs. Subsequently, donor-substituted complexes bearing bi-, tri-, tetra-, or even pentadentate ligands and further pincer as well as scorpionato motifs are described.