α,β‐Unsaturated Acyl Azoliums from N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed Reactions: Observation and Mechanistic Investigation

Caught in the act: Acyl azoliums have long been thought to be key reactive intermediates in N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis, but they have never been observed under catalytic conditions. Now, this has been successfully achieved by the characterization of α,β-unsaturated acyl azoliums (see scheme) using different spectroscopic techniques. Kinetic studies revealed the origin of their unexpected chemoselectivity in acylation and annulation reactions.