Mono- and diaminocarbenes from chloroiminium and -amidinium salts: synthesis of metal-free bis(dimethylamino)carbene

J Am Chem Soc. 2004 Feb 4;126(4):1016-7. doi: 10.1021/ja0393325.

Abstract

Bis(trimethylsilyl)mercury cleanly reacts at low temperature with chloroamidinium and -iminium chlorides, generating persistent metal-free cyclic and acyclic diaminocarbenes, as well as transient aryl-, chloro-, and hydrogenoaminocarbenes; with the latter, the corresponding olefin dimers were isolated, whereas with the former, no dimerization processes were observed.