Constructing a Stable Carbene with a Novel Topology and Electronic Framework

The perimidine skeleton provides a framework for the isolation of a novel, stable carbene possessing a unique molecular architecture and electronic structure. The remarkable steric environment and exceptional electron-donating ability for the carbene-carbon are revealed through structural and spectroscopic characterization of the parent carbene and two sterically encumbered rhodium-carbene complexes, L₂RhCl{C[NCH(CH₃)₂]₂(C₁₀H₆)} (5 L₂ = COD; 6 L = CO).