The synthesis of 1-(4-cyanophenyl)-1H-imidazol (1) has been carried out by an improved method. Then its corresponding imidazolium iodide salt, 2, has been used to prepare the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) cycloplatinated compound [{Pt(mu-Cl)(C boolean AND C*)}(2)] (4) (HC boolean AND C*-kappa C* = 1-(4-cyanopheny1)-3-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylidene) following a step-by-step protocol. The intermediate complex [PtCl(eta(3)-2-Me-C3H4) (HC boolean AND C*-kappa C*)] (3) has also been isolated and characterized. Using 4 as precursor, several heteroleptic complexes of stoicheometry [PtC1(C boolean AND C*)L,] (L = PPh3 (5), pyridine (py, 6), 2,6-dimethylphenyl isocyanide (CNXyl, 7), and 2-mercapto1-methylimidazole (MMI, 8)) and [Pt(C boolean AND C*)LL']PF6 (L = PPh3, L' = py (9), CNXyl (10), and MMI (11)) have been synthesized. Complexes 6-8 were obtained as a mixture of cis- and trans-(C*,L) isomers, while trans-(C*,L) isomer was the only one observed for complexes 5 and 9-11. Their geometries have been discussed in terms of the degree of transphobia (T) of pairs of trans ligands and supported by theoretical calculations. The trans influence of the two sigma Pt-C bonds present in these molecules, Pt-C-Ar and Pt-C*((NHC)), has been compared from the J(Pt-P) values observed in the new complex [Pt(C boolean AND C*) (dppe)]PF6 (dppe = 1, 2-bis(diphenylphosphino)-ethane, 12).