Five imidazol(in)ium-2-thiocarboxylates bearing cyclohexyl, mesityl, or 2,6-diisopropylphenyl substituents on their nitrogen atoms were prepared from the corresponding imidazol(in)ium chlorides or tetrafluoroborates in a one-pot, two-step procedure involving the in situ generation of free N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) with a strong base followed by trapping with carbonyl sulfide. The resulting NHC·COS
iocarboxylate zwitterions bearing cyclohexyl, 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl (mesityl), or 2,6-diisopropylphenyl groups on their nitrogen atoms in CH2Cl2 at −20 °C. All the products were fully characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy, and the molecular structures of [RuCl2(p-cymene)(SOC·IMes)] (3) and [RuCl2(p-cymene)(SOC·SIMes)] (5) were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Coordination of the NHC·COS