Patent ID: 8163900

Claim:
N-heterocyclic carbenes, salts thereof, and metal complexes thereof, comprising formula I: wherein ring A and ring B are independently selected from the group consisting of substituted or unsubstituted mono- or polycyclic cycloalkenyl, cycloaryl, heterocycloaryl, and heterocycloalkenyl having up to 34 atoms within each of ring A or ring B, provided that A and B are not phenyl, naphthalenyl, or 9,10-dihydrophenanthrenyl; wherein heteroatoms in either of ring A or ring B, if any, are independently selected from the group consisting of N, O, S, and P; R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , and R 6 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen; C 1 to C 60 substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched alkyl, alkenyl, and alkynyl, aryl and heteroaryl; or R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 , including or excluding the carbon to which they are attached and independent of R 4 , R 5 , and R 6 , and R 4 , R 5 , and R 6 , including or excluding the carbon to which they are attached and independent of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 , define a C 3 to C 60 , substituted or unsubstituted, mono- or polycyclic cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkynyl, cycloaryl, heterocycloaryl, heterocycloalkenyl, heterocycloaklynyl, wherein heteroatoms in if any, are independently selected from the group consisting of N, O, S, and P; wherein substituents on substituted moieties are selected from the group consisting of halogen; linear or branched C 1 -C 12 -alkyl, alkenyl, or alkynyl; C 5 -C 12 -cycloalkyl, cylcoalkenyl, or cylcoalkynyl; mono- or polycyclic aryl, and mono- or polycyclic heteroaryl having up to 5 heteroatoms selected from N, O, S, and P; and salts thereof; and metal complexes thereof.