An NHC‐Stabilised Phosphinidene for Catalytic Formylation: A DFT‐Guided Approach

In recent years, the applications of low‐valent main group compounds have gained momentum in the field of catalysis. Owing to the accessibility of two lone pairs of electrons, NHC‐stabilised phosphinidenes have been found to be excellent Lewis bases; however, they cannot yet be used as catalysts. Herein, an NHC‐stabilised phosphinidene, 1,3‐dimethyl‐2‐(phenylphosphanylidene)‐2,3‐dihydro‐1 H imidazole (1), for the activation of CO 2 is reported.A...