Imidazole-derived carbenes and salts boost nickel-catalyzed ester carbonylation activity

Escaping from rhodium- and iridium-catalyzed ester carbonylations has been a long-standing aspiration for decades. In a recent issue of Science, Alexander J.M. Miller, Javier M. Grajeda, and colleagues have demonstrated that nickel catalysis can promote efficient ester carbonylation reactions by its combination with N-heterocyclic carbene ligands, diverging from traditional phosphines.