Advances in the Synthesis and Applications of N-Heterocyclic Carbene Metal Complexes with a Focus on the Weak Base Route

N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands have evolved from being simple lab curiosities to tertiary phosphine mimics to finally take center stage as unique supporting ligands in organometallic chemistry, homogeneous catalysis, and more recently in medicinal chemistry and materials science applications. Some of these aspects are presented here from a perspective of researchers that have been fascinated by the area for quite some time.