Imidazolate

Imidazolate (C3H3N$− 2$) is the conjugate base of imidazole. It is a nucleophile and a strong base. The free anion has C2v symmetry. Imidazole has a pKa of 14.05, so the deprotonation of imidazole (C3H3N2H) requires a strong base.

Occurrence


Imidazolate is a common bridging ligand in coordination chemistry. In the zeolitic imidazolate frameworks, the metals are interconnected via imidazolates. In the enzyme superoxide dismutase, imidazolate links copper and zinc centers.