N-heterocyclic carbenes NHC : towards organic super-reducers

Free N-heterocyclic carbenes are modest reductants, but their reactions with suitable electrophiles can produce exceptionally strong organic electron donors. The seminar explains how electron-rich structures and stabilization after oxidation enable single- and double-electron transfers, and how structural changes tune reduction potentials. It connects mechanistic understanding with radical synthesis and emerging uses in materials, greenhouse-gas chemistry and energy conversion or storage.