Ynamides: stable ligand equivalents of unstable oxazol-4-ylidenes (novel mesoionic carbenes)

Abstract

Deprotonation of an oxazolium salt induces a ring opening process leading to the corresponding ynamide. Although the expected mesoionic carbene is not obtained, the acyclic ynamide readily reacts with various transition metals yielding robust mesoionic carbene complexes.