Synthesis of NHC-Iridium(III) Complexes Based on N‑Iminoimidazolium Ylides and Their Use for the Amine Alkylation by Borrowing Hydrogen Catalysis

Anionic NHC ligands recently developed in our group, derived from N-iminoimidazolium ylides, were used to synthesize NHC-iridium­(III) complexes. Their catalytic activities were evaluated in the amine alkylation of anilines using borrowing hydrogen catalysis. The high-yielding synthesis of a small library of complexes allowed a rapid screening of the ideal steric bulk of the NHC unit and basicity of the anionic tether for the investigated model reaction. A bulky aromatic N group on the imidazolidene moiety is required to achieve high catalytic activity, and the latter is proportional to the basicity of the anionic group. A selected substrate scope of the reaction was performed, providing fair to excellent yields of the desired alkylated anilines.