Carbynes reloaded: Isolation of singlet metallocarbenes

Metallocarbenes are the elusive electromers of the well-established carbyne complexes with subvalent carbon ligands. In this issue of Chem, Liu and co-workers report the isolation of the first bona fide metallocarbenes. Their work introduces a new class of organometallic compounds with unique bonding properties and paves the way toward new catalytic applications.