We have developed a multistep inorganic synthesis experiment for our second-year undergraduate teaching laboratory that introduces students to modern organometallic chemistry. The ligands are prepared in two simple steps and the preparation of an air-stable silver carbene complex is accomplished in the third step. The students are introduced to multinuclear NMR (1H and 13C) spectroscopy and a modern area of chemistry, as well as prepare an important class of ligand, namely N-heterocyclic carbenes. We have used this experiment to introduce students to novel coordination geometries and valence states of carbon.
Supplement
Student handouts; Instructor notes including trouble-shooting, sample results, selected NMR spectra, and a view of the solid-state structure of 6
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