This project dealt with the devel­op­ment of a modular synthe­sis
that allows access to a wide range of catalysts with proper­ties
tailored to the needs of the reactions to be catalyzed. The
synthe­sis makes it possi­ble to construct various N‑heteroacyclic
and N‑heterocyclic carbene ligands with a wide range of
electronic and steric proper­ties directly at the metal center.

A detailed descrip­tion follows.