A comprehensive theoretical analysis of the electronic structure, reactivity, and ligand properties of various types of carbenes derived from pyridine and diazines (pyridazine, pyrimidine, and pyrazine) was performed. These carbenes are divided into three classes: “normal” N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) bearing one nitrogen atom at the ylidene carbon (1N-NHC), mesoionic carbenes (MIC), and remote-NHCs (r-NHC). These species have a singlet ground state. Carbenes under study bear high-lying lone electron pairs localized on the ylidene carbon atoms making them bases 2–18 pKaH units stronger than the reference imidazol-2-ylidenes. However, such carbenes are thermodynamically and kinetically less stable than conventional imidazol-2-ylidenes. Pyridinium and diazinium carbenes have exceptional ligand properties evaluated using a model (NHC)Rh(CO)2Cl complex: high metal–ligand binding energies and significantly higher electron donation and steric stabilization than those provided by its five-membered ring counterparts.…