Electrochemical approach to Fischer carbene complexes

Abstract Although the chemistry of Fischer carbene complexes is recently a growing direction of research, a review summarizing their electrochemical investigations is still missing. In the present, text evaluation and comparison of experimental data allow insight on how the structural changes of Fischer carbene complexes influence their redox properties. It is evident that the respective reduction and oxidation potentials depend on multiple parameters. To shed light on this problem, the available data were systematized in several series, where effects of individual structural changes were evaluated as shifts of oxidation and reduction potentials with respect to a reference compound. The changes in electron delocalization caused by different substitutions were rationalized using quantum chemical calculations.