Platinum‐Mediated Oxidative Addition and Reductive Elimination of Imidazolium Salts at C4 and C5

Wrong way round: Imidazolium salts blocked at C2 undergo oxidative addition to a Pt0 center at C4/C5 (see scheme; nbe=norbornene, IMes=1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazolin-2-ylidene). The resulting carbene ligands, which are bound the “wrong way” are susceptible, in common with their “normal” counterparts, to reductive elimination reactions to regenerate Pt0 complexes and imidazolium salts.