Mesoionic carbenes
(MICs) of the 1,2,3-triazolylidene type have
established themselves as a popular class of compounds over the past
decade. Primary reasons for this popularity are their modular synthesis
and their strong donor properties. While such MICs have mostly been
used in combination with transition metals, the past few years have
also seen their utility together with main group elements. In this
paper, we present an overview of the recent developments on this class
of compounds that include, among others, (i) cationic and anionic
MIC ligands, (ii) the donor/acceptor properties of these ligands with
a focus on the several methods that are known for estimating such
donor/acceptor properties, (iii) a detailed overview of 3d metal complexes
and main group compounds with these MIC ligands, (iv) results on the
redox and photophysical properties of compounds based on MIC ligands,
and (v) an overview on electrocatalysis, redox-switchable catalysis,
and small-molecule activation to highlight the applications of compounds
based on MIC ligands in contemporary chemistry. By discussing several
aspects from the synthetic, spectroscopic, and application point of
view of these classes of compounds, we highlight the state of the
art of compounds containing MICs and present a perspective for future
research in this field.