A new synthetic method for obtaining [RhCl(cod)(NHC)] complexes (1–4) (cod = η⁴-1,5-cyclooctadiene, NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene: IMes, SIMes, IPr, and SIPr, respectively) is reported together with the catalytic properties of 1–4 in nitrile hydration. In addition to the characterization of 1–4 in solution by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, the structures of complexes 3, and 4 have been established also in the solid state with single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The Rh(I)-NHC complexes displayed excellent catalytic activity in hydration of aromatic nitriles (up to TOF = 276 h⁻¹) in water/2-propanol (1/1 v/v) mixtures in air.

New water-soluble, N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) or mixed NHC/tertiary phosphine complexes [RhCl(cod)(sSIMes)], Na₂[Rh(bmim)(cod)(mtppts)], and [Rh(bmim)(cod)(pta)]BF₄ were synthetized and applied for the first time as catalysts in redox isomerization of allylic alcohols in aqueous media. [RhCl(cod)(sSIMes)] (with added sulfonated triphenylphosphine) and [Rh(bmim)(cod)(pta)]BF₄ catalyzed selectively the transformation of allylic alcohols to the corresponding ketones. The highest catalytic activity, TOF = 152 h⁻¹ (TOF = (mol reacted substrate) × (mol catalyst × time)⁻¹) was observed in redox isomerization of hept-1-en-3-ol ([S]/[cat] = 100). The catalysts were reused in the aqueous phase at least three times, with only modest loss of the catalytic activity and selectivity.

This review summarizes developments in the synthesis and catalytic applications of those heterobimetallic carbene complexes in which at least two different metals are bound to the same ligand by at least one M-C(carbene) bond each. Several new synthetic methods for such complexes yielding well-defined and thoroughly characterized compounds are presented. The new complexes were found to be catalytically active in several (most often tandem) reactions. In certain cases, the incorporation of two different metals into the same imidazole- or triazol-based NHC-carbene complex resulted in the substantially higher catalytic activity of the heterobimetallic complex compared either to its homobimetallic analogs or to mixtures of comparable mononuclear complex fragments containing the two metals independently. This is a clear demonstration of advantageous metal–metal cooperation within the catalyst. Opposite examples are also discussed, where the heterobimetallic carbene complex proved inferior in relation to its homobimetallic analogs or to mixtures of homonuclear fragments.

The crystal structure of the title compound, C₁₆H₂₆N₄O₆S₂·2H₂O, a water-soluble di-N-heterocyclic carbene ligand precursor was determined using a single crystal grown by the slow cooling of a hot N,N-dimethylformamide solution of the compound. The dihydrate crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c, with half of the zwitterionic molecule and one water molecule of crystallization in the asymmetric unit. The remaining part of the molecule is completed by inversion symmetry. In the molecule, the imidazole ring planes are parallel with a plane-to-plane distance of 2.741 (2) Å. The supramolecular network is consolidated by hydrogen bonds of medium strength between the zwitterionic molecules and the water molecules of crystallization, as well as by π–π stacking interactions between the imidazole rings of neighbouring molecules and C—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions.

Four new dinuclear iridium(I) complexes were synthesized from the di(N-heterocyclic carbene) ligand precursors 1,1′-methylene-bis(3-benzyl-imidazolium)dichloride and 1,1′-methylene-bis(3-(2,4,6-trimethylbenzyl)imidazolium)dichloride. The complexes were fully characterized by spectroscopic methods, HR-MS (ESI) spectrometry, furthermore, the structure of complexes 1 and 2 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Complexes 3a and 3b which have sulfonated triphenylphosphine ligands, were successfully used under mild conditions as catalysts in reduction reaction of ketones via hydrogen transfer from aqueous 2-propanol, and for hydrogenation of alkynes in aqueous-organic biphasic systems. Graphical Abstract