Coinage metal complexes of the carbenic tautomer of Nitron

The analytical reagent Nitron is a bench-stable and inexpensive crypto-carbene. It undergoes clean and swift reactions with coinage metal salts MX in dipolar aprotic solvents, affording complexes of the type [MX(NHC)], [MX(NHC)2] and [M(NHC)2]X (NHC = 1,4-diphenyl-3-phenylamino-1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene).100