The starting point for this study was a survey of different NHC-precatalysts. Triazolium salts 4 and 5 were both good candidates (Table , entry 1 and 2) with 5 delivering 3 in slightly higher yields (53% vs. 47%). Imidazolium salt 6 (entry 3) was not as efficient in comparison (32%) and thiazolium salt 7 (entry 4) showed no activity in the reaction. Next, evaluations of different solvents were made. Ethyl acetate (EtOAc) gave comparable results with acetonitrile (MeCN) delivering the product in 55% yield (entry 6). On the other hand, dichloromethane (DCM) (entry 7) and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) (entry 8) resulted in lower yields As EtOAc is considered a more sustainable and greener solvent alternative, it became the solvent of choice.