Several attempts to deprotonate the imidizolium salt1-methyl-3-(4,6-di-
tert-butyl-2-hydroxybenzyl)imidazolium bromide, H
2[CO]Br (
4), tethered by substituted phenol to yieldanonic carbene species M[CO] (M = Li, Na) resulted in theformation of {Na[ON](THF)}
2 (
5) and {Li[ON](THF)}
2 (
6) (1-methyl-2-(4,6-di-
tert-butyl-2-hydroxybenzyl)imidazole, H[ON])after warming to room temperature from -78
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
C due to 1,2-aryloxy migration. Treatment of in-situ-generated M[CO] with1.0 equiv of MesMgBr (Mes = 2,4,6-Me
3C
6H
2) produced a raremagnesium NHC complex, {Mg[OC](Mes)}
2 (
8). Both
5 and
8have been characterized by an X-ray diffraction study.