Preparation of imidazolinium salts by the Pd-catalyzed reduction of thioureas with triethylsilane and trialkylsilyl triflate

A Pd-catalyzed method for the preparation of imidazolinium salts from the corresponding thioureas that could then be used for the synthesis of imidazolium and amidinium salts is described. This method has great potential because all the required reagents are readily available and thioureas are safely converted to their corresponding precursors of NHCs under mild conditions.