Negatively Charged N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Stabilized Pd and Au Nanoparticles and Efficient Catalysis in Water

Herein we describe the synthesis of negatively charged N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-functionalized palladium and gold nanoparticles (NPs), which are stable in water for over 3 months. The formation of these NHC–NPs proceeds via an efficient ligand exchange procedure. This method was successfully applied to different negatively charged NHCs bearing sulfonate and carboxylate groups. The obtained PdNPs were investigated as catalysts in hydrogenation reactions and showed high catalytic activity (TON up to 2500 and TOF up to 2000 h –1 ).