Addition of S-H bonds across electron-deficient olefins catalyzed by well-defined copper(I) thiolate complexes.

A series of monomeric (NHC)Cu(SR) (R = Ph or CH2Ph; NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) complexes have been synthesized and fully characterized including single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. These complexes catalyze the addition of S-H bonds across electron-deficient olefins to regioselectively produce "anti-Markovnikov" products.