Silver N-heterocyclic carbenes: emerging powerful catalysts

Silver N-heterocyclic carbenes (Ag–NHCs) exhibit good biocompatibility and have found a wide range of applications in medicine and coordination chemistry. However, due to the strong σ donor nature of NHC, its coordination with silver can weaken the Lewis acidity of Ag(I), leading to slow development of Ag-NHCs in the field of catalysis. Here, we systematically review the application of Ag-NHCs as catalysts in organic synthesis and clearly elaborate the reasons for the slow development of Ag-NHCs in the field of catalysis along with future development opportunities for such complexes as catalysts.