Stereo- and Regioselective Alkyne Hydrometallation with Gold(III) Hydrides

(P^N^C) Ligands to Stabilize Gold(III): A Straightforward Access to Hydroxo, Formate, and Hydride Complexes

A novel class of (P^N^C) pincer ligands capable of stabilizing elusive gold(III) species is reported here. Straightforward access to (P^N^C)gold(III) hydroxo, formate, and hydride complexes has been streamlined by first incorporating a cycloauration step devoid of toxic metals or harsh conditions. The resulting gold complexes exhibit remarkable stability in solution as well as in the solid state under ambient conditions, which enabled their characterization by X-ray diffraction analyses. Interestingly, the influence of the ligand allowed the preparation of gold(III)-hydrides using mild hydride donors such as H-Bpin, which contrasts with sensitive super hydrides or strong acids and cryogenic conditions employed in previous protocols. A detailed bonding characterization of these species is complemented by reactivity studies.

Insertion of Molecular Oxygen into a Gold(III)-Hydride Bond

The use of molecular oxygen as an oxidant in chemical synthesis has significant environmental and economic benefits, and it is widely used as such in large-scale industrial processes. However, its adoption in highly selective homogeneous catalytic transformations, particularly to produce oxygenated organics, has been hindered by our limited understanding of the mechanisms by which O2 reacts with transition metals. Of particular relevance are the mechanisms of the reactions of oxygen with late transition metal hydrides as these metal centers are better poised to release oxygenated products. Homogeneous catalysis with gold complexes has markedly increased, and herein we report the synthesis and full characterization of a rare AuIII-H, supported by a diphosphine pincer ligand (tBuPCP = 2,6-bis(di-tert-butylphosphinomethyl)benzene). [(tBuPCP)AuIII-H]+ was found to cleanly react with molecular oxygen to yield a stable AuIII-OOH complex that was also fully characterized. Extensive kinetic studies on the reaction via variable temperature NMR spectroscopy have been completed, and the results are consistent with an autoaccelerating radical chain mechanism. The observed kinetic behavior exhibits similarities to that of previously reported PdII-H and PtIV-H reactions with O2 but is not fully consistent with any known O2 insertion mechanism. As such, this study contributes to the nascent fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of aerobic oxidation of late metal hydrides.

Next Generation Gold Drugs and Probes: Chemistry and Biomedical Applications

The gold drugs, gold sodium thiomalate (Myocrisin), aurothioglucose (Solganal), and the orally administered auranofin (Ridaura), are utilized in modern medicine for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis including rheumatoid and juvenile arthritis; however, new gold agents have been slow to enter the clinic. Repurposing of auranofin in different disease indications such as cancer, parasitic, and microbial infections in the clinic has provided impetus for the development of new gold complexes for biomedical applications based on unique mechanistic insights differentiated from auranofin. Various chemical methods for the preparation of physiologically stable gold complexes and associated mechanisms have been explored in biomedicine such as therapeutics or chemical probes. In this Review, we discuss the chemistry of next generation gold drugs, which encompasses oxidation states, geometry, ligands, coordination, and organometallic compounds for infectious diseases, cancer, inflammation, and as tools for chemical biology via gold-protein interactions. We will focus on the development of gold agents in biomedicine within the past decade. The Review provides readers with an accessible overview of the utility, development, and mechanism of action of gold-based small molecules to establish context and basis for the thriving resurgence of gold in medicine.

Heart of gold: enabling ligands for oxidative addition of haloorganics in Au(I)/Au(III) catalysed cross-coupling reactions

The field of Au-catalysis has been an area rich with new discoveries due to the unique properties of the lustrous element. In the past decade, developments in Au(I)/Au(III) cross-coupling methodology have been made possible with the use of external oxidants that facilitate the challenging oxidation of Au(I) to Au(III) in a stable and catalytically competent fashion. Until recently, Au-chemistry was not known to undergo catalytic transformations that feature oxidative addition of haloarenes like those that were made famous by transition metals such as Pd and Ni. The discovery that ligand modification could facilitate the oxidative addition of Au(I) with haloorganics to provide Au(III) intermediates that are competent in other areas of catalysis (i.e. Lewis acid catalysis) has revolutionized this field and has led to the invention of new cross-coupling methodology. The recent advances at the leading edge in the emerging field of Au(I)/Au(III) catalysis under redox-neutral conditions are highlighted.

Cationic Gold(II) Complexes: Experimental and Theoretical Study

Gold(II) complexes are rare, and their application to the catalysis of chemical transformations is underexplored. The reason is their easy oxidation or reduction to more stable gold(III) or gold(I) complexes, respectively. We explored the thermodynamics of the formation of [Au^II (L)(X)]⁺ complexes (L=ligand, X=halogen) from the corresponding gold(III) precursors and investigated their stability and spectral properties in the IR and visible range in the gas phase. The results show that the best ancillary ligands L for stabilizing gaseous [Au^II (L)(X)]⁺ complexes are bidentate and tridentate ligands with nitrogen donor atoms. The electronic structure and spectral properties of the investigated gold(II) complexes were correlated with quantum chemical calculations. The results show that the molecular and electronic structure of the gold(II) complexes as well as their spectroscopic properties are very similar to those of analogous stable copper(II) complexes.

Selective Semihydrogenation of Polarized Alkynes by a Gold Hydride Nanocluster

The hydridic hydrogen in nanogold catalysts has long been postulated as an important intermediate in hydrogenation reactions, but it has not been directly observed. Here, we report the synthesis of a new undecagold cluster with a bidentate phosphine ligand. The chelating effects of the bidentate ligand result in a more symmetric Au₁₁ core with two labile Cl^- ligands that can exchange with BH₄^-, leading to a novel undecagold hydride cluster. The new hydride cluster is discovered to readily undergo hydroauration reaction with alkynes containing electron-withdrawing groups, forming key gold-alkenyl semihydrogenation intermediates, which can be efficiently and selectively converted to Z-alkenes under acidic conditions. All key reaction intermediates are isolated and characterized, providing atomic-level insights into the active sites and mechanisms of semihydrogenation reactions catalyzed by gold-based nanomaterials. The hydridic hydrogen in the undecagold cluster is found to be the key to prevent over hydrogenation of alkenes to alkanes. The current study provides fundamental insights into hydrogenation chemistry enabled by gold-based nanomaterials and may lead to the development of efficient catalysts for selective semihydrogenation or functionalization of alkynes.

Main Avenues in Gold Coordination Chemistry

In this contribution, we provide an overview of the main avenues that have emerged in gold coordination chemistry during the last years. The unique properties of gold have motivated research in gold chemistry, and especially regarding the properties and applications of gold compounds in catalysis, medicine, and materials chemistry. The advances in the synthesis and knowledge of gold coordination compounds have been possible with the design of novel ligands becoming relevant motifs that have allowed the preparation of elusive complexes in this area of research. Strong donor ligands with easily modulable electronic and steric properties, such as stable singlet carbenes or cyclometalated ligands, have been decisive in the stabilization of gold(0) species, gold fluoride complexes, gold hydrides, unprecedented π complexes, or cluster derivatives. These new ligands have been important not only from the fundamental structure and bonding studies but also for the synthesis of sophisticated catalysts to improve activity and selectivity of organic transformations. Moreover, they have enabled the facile oxidative addition from gold(I) to gold(III) and the design of a plethora of complexes with specific properties.

Synthesis, structure and reactivity of iridium complexes containing a bis-cyclometalated tridentate C^N^C ligand

In an effort to synthesize cyclometalated iridium complexes containing a tridentate C^N^C ligand, transmetallation of [Hg(HC^N^C)Cl] (1) (H2C^N^C = 2,6-bis(4-tert-butylphenyl)pyridine) with various organoiridium starting materials has been studied. The treatment of 1 with [Ir(cod)Cl]2 (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) in acetonitrile at room temperature afforded a hexanuclear Ir4Hg2 complex, [Cl(κ2C,N-HC^N^C)(cod)IrHgIr(cod)Cl2]2 (2), which features Ir-Hg-Ir and Ir-Cl-Ir bridges. Refluxing 2 with sodium acetate in tetrahydrofuran (thf) resulted in cyclometalation of the bidentate HC^N^C ligand and formation of trinuclear [(C^N^C)(cod)IrHgIr(cod)Cl2] (3). On the other hand, refluxing [Ir(cod)Cl]2 with 1 and sodium acetate in thf yielded [Ir(C^N^C)(cod)(HgCl)] (4). Chlorination of 4 with PhICl2 gave [Ir(C^N^C)(cod)Cl]·HgCl2 (5·HgCl2) that reacted with tricyclohexylphosphine to yield Hg-free [Ir(C^N^C)(cod)Cl] (5). Chloride abstraction of 5 with silver(i) triflate (AgOTf) gave [Ir(C^N^C)(cod)(H2O)](OTf) (6) that can catalyze the cyclopropanation of styrene with ethyl diazoacetate. Reaction of 1 and [Ir(CO)2Cl(py)] (py = pyridine) with sodium acetate in refluxing thf afforded [Ir(C^N^C)(HgCl)(py)(CO)] (7), in which the carbonyl ligand is coplanar with the C^N^C ligand. On the other hand, refluxing 1 with (PPh4)[Ir(CO)2Cl2] and sodium acetate in acetonitrile gave [Ir(C^N^C)(κ2C,N-HC^N^C)(CO)] (8), the carbonyl ligand of which is trans to the pyridyl ring of the bidentate HC^N^C ligand. Upon irradiation with UV light 8 in thf was isomerized to 8', in which the carbonyl is trans to a phenyl group of the bidentate HC^N^C ligand. The isomer pair 8 and 8' exhibited emission at 548 and 514 nm in EtOH/MeOH at 77 K with lifetime of 84.0 and 64.6 μs, respectively. Protonation of 8 with p-toluenesulfonic acid (TsOH) afforded the bis(bidentate) tosylate complex [Ir(κ2C,N-HC^N^C)2(CO)(OTs)] (9) that could be reconverted to 8 upon treatment with sodium acetate. The electrochemistry of the Ir(C^N^C) complexes has been studied using cyclic voltammetry. Reaction of [Ir(PPh3)3Cl] with 1 and sodium acetate in refluxing thf led to isolation of the previously reported compound [Ir(κ2P,C-C6H4PPh2)2(PPh3)Cl] (10). The crystal structures of 2-5, 8, 8', 9 and 10 have been determined.

Oxidative additions of alkynyl/vinyl iodides to gold and gold-catalyzed vinylation reactions triggered by the MeDalphos ligand

The hemilabile Ad2P(o-C6H4)NMe2 ligand promotes fast, quantitative and irreversible oxidative addition of alkynyl and vinyl iodides to gold. The reaction is general. It works with a broad range of substrates of various electronic bias and steric demand, and proceeds with complete retention of stereochemistry from Z and E vinyl iodides. Both alkynyl and vinyl iodides react faster than aryl iodides. The elementary step is amenable to catalysis. Oxidative addition of vinyl iodides to gold and π-activation of alkenols (and N-alkenyl amines) at gold have been combined to achieve hetero-vinylation reactions. A number of functionalized heterocycles, i.e. tetrahydrofuranes, tetrahydropyranes, oxepanes and pyrrolidines were obtained thereby (24 examples, 87% average yield). Taking advantage of the chemoselectivity for vinyl iodides over aryl iodides, sequential transformations involving first a hetero-vinylation step and then a C-N coupling, a C-C coupling or an heteroarylation were achieved from a vinyl/aryl bis-iodide substrate.

Reactivity of NHC/diphosphene-coordinated Au(I)-hydride

We report the reactivity of isolable Au(i)-hydride stabilized by an NHC-coordinated diphosphene towards substrates containing C-C and N-N multiple bonds (NHC = N-heterocyclcic carbene). Reactions with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate and azobenzene lead to a trans-addition of the Au(i)-H across the C-C triple bond and the N-N double bond, respectively. In contrast, the reaction with ethyl diazoacetate affords a gold(i)-hydrazonide as the 1,1-addition product to the terminal nitrogen atom. With phenyl acetylene, the corresponding Au(i)-alkynyl complex is obtained under the elimination of dihydrogen. Strikingly, diphosphene-containing Au(i)-hydride is more reactive - affording different products in some cases - than a related NHC-stabilized Au(i)-hydride without the mediating diphosphene moiety.

Hydrostibination of Alkynes: A Radical Mechanism*

The addition of Sb-H bonds to alkynes was reported recently as a new hydroelementation reaction that exclusively yields anti-Markovnikov Z-olefins from terminal acetylenes. We examine four possible mechanisms that are consistent with the observed stereochemical and regiochemical outcomes. A comprehensive analysis of solvent, substituent, isotope, additive, and temperature effects on hydrostibination reaction rates definitively refutes three ionic mechanisms involving closed-shell charged intermediates. Instead the data support a fourth pathway featuring open-shell neutral intermediates. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations are consistent with this model, predicting an activation barrier that is in agreement with the experimental value (Eyring analysis) and a rate limiting step that is congruent with the experimental kinetic isotope effect. We therefore conclude that hydrostibination of arylacetylenes is initiated by the generation of stibinyl radicals, which then participate in a cycle featuring Sb^II and Sb^III intermediates to yield the observed Z-olefins as products. This mechanistic understanding will enable rational evolution of hydrostibination as a synthetic methodology.

Visible light driven generation and alkyne insertion reactions of stable bis-cyclometalated Pt(iv) hydrides

Hydride complexes resulting from the oxidative addition of C–H bonds are intermediates in hydrocarbon activation and functionalization reactions. The discovery of metal systems that enable their direct formation through photoexcitation with visible light could lead to advantageous synthetic methodologies. In this study, easily accessible dimers [Pt₂(μ-Cl)₂(C^N)₂] (C^N = cyclometalated 2-arylpyridine) are demonstrated as a very convenient source of Pt(C^N) subunits, which promote photooxidative C–H addition reactions with different 2-arylpyridines (N′^C′H) upon irradiation with blue light. The resulting [PtH(Cl)(C^N)(C′^N′)] complexes are the first isolable Pt(iv) hydrides arising from a cyclometalation reaction. A transcyclometalation process involving three photochemical steps is elucidated, which occurs when the C^N ligand is a monocyclometalated 2,6-diarylpyridine, and a detailed analysis of the photoreactivity associated with the Pt(C^N) moiety is provided. Alkyne insertions into the Pt–H bond of a photogenerated Pt(iv) hydride are also reported as a demonstration of the ability of this class of compounds to undergo subsequent organometallic reactions.

The photochemical generation of isolable bis-cyclometalated Pt(iv) hydrides via photooxidative C–H addition reactions is demonstrated from easily accessible Pt(ii) precursors using visible light.

Oxidative Addition of Alkenyl and Alkynyl Iodides to a AuI Complex

The first isolated examples of intermolecular oxidative addition of alkenyl and alkynyl iodides to Au^I are reported. Using a 5,5'-difluoro-2,2'-bipyridyl ligated complex, oxidative addition of geometrically defined alkenyl iodides occurs readily, reversibly and stereospecifically to give alkenyl-Au^III complexes. Conversely, reversible alkynyl iodide oxidative addition generates bimetallic complexes containing both Au^III and Au^I centers. Stoichiometric studies show that both new initiation modes can form the basis for the development of C-C bond forming cross-couplings.

Allene-derived gold and platinum complexes: synthesis and first applications in catalysis

We report here the synthesis, full characterisation and first application in catalysis of novel Au(i), Au(iii) and Pt(ii) carbene-type complexes formed from bis(pyridyl)allenes. The catalytic activity of the new Au(i)-complexes in the cyclisation of 1,6-enynes, a benchmark reaction for new Au and Pt complexes, was comparable to Au(i)-state-of-the-art catalysts used in these reactions. Reactions with the new Au(iii)- and Pt(ii)-complexes occurred under milder conditions than those reported with AuCl3 and PtCl2.

Synthesis and study of Au(iii)-indolizine derivatives: turn-on luminescence by photo-induced controlled release

The photo- and structural properties of a series of Au(iii) indolizine complexes were determined. Controlled release of halogenated indolizine derivatives from the corresponding Au(iii) complexes was achieved by photoinduced C-X bond formation, which provided turn-on luminescence with an increase in emission intensity of up to 67 times.

Evidence for genuine hydrogen bonding in gold(I) complexes

The ability of gold to act as proton acceptor and participate in hydrogen bonding remains an open question. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of cationic gold(I) complexes featuring ditopic phosphine-ammonium (P,NH+) ligands. In addition to the presence of short Au∙∙∙H contacts in the solid state, the presence of Au∙∙∙H-N hydrogen bonds was inferred by NMR and IR spectroscopies. The bonding situation was extensively analyzed computationally. All features were consistent with the presence of three-center four-electron attractive interactions combining electrostatic and orbital components. The role of relativistic effects was examined, and the analysis is extended to other recently described gold(I) complexes.

Unlocking Structural Diversity in Gold(III) Hydrides: Unexpected Interplay of cis/ trans-Influence on Stability, Insertion Chemistry, and NMR Chemical Shifts

The synthesis of new families of stable or at least spectroscopically observable gold(III) hydride complexes is reported, including anionic cis-hydrido chloride, hydrido aryl, and cis-dihydride complexes. Reactions between (C^C)AuCl(PR3) and LiHBEt3 afford the first examples of gold(III) phosphino hydrides (C^C)AuH(PR3) (R = Me, Ph, p-tolyl; C^C = 4,4'-di- tert-butylbiphenyl-2,2'-diyl). The X-ray structure of (C^C)AuH(PMe3) was determined. LiHBEt3 reacts with (C^C)AuCl(py) to give [(C^C)Au(H)Cl]-, whereas (C^C)AuH(PR3) undergoes phosphine displacement, generating the dihydride [(C^C)AuH2]-. Monohydrido complexes hydroaurate dimethylacetylene dicarboxylate to give Z-vinyls. (C^N^C)Au pincer complexes give the first examples of gold(III) bridging hydrides. Stability, reactivity and bonding characteristics of Au(III)-H complexes crucially depend on the interplay between cis and trans-influence. Remarkably, these new gold(III) hydrides extend the range of observed NMR hydride shifts from δ -8.5 to +7 ppm. Relativistic DFT calculations show that the origin of this wide chemical shift variability as a function of the ligands depends on the different ordering and energy gap between "shielding" Au(dπ)-based orbitals and "deshielding" σ(Au-H)-type MOs, which are mixed to some extent upon inclusion of spin-orbit (SO) coupling. The resulting 1H hydride shifts correlate linearly with the DFT optimized Au-H distances and Au-H bond covalency. The effect of cis ligands follows a nearly inverse ordering to that of trans ligands. This study appears to be the first systematic delineation of cis ligand influence on M-H NMR shifts and provides the experimental evidence for the dramatic change of the 1H hydride shifts, including the sign change, upon mutual cis and trans ligand alternation.

Ligand Effect on Bonding in Gold(III) Carbonyl Complexes

We quantitatively assess the Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson (DCD) components of the Au(III)-CO bond and the charge density polarization at the CO, in a series of neutral, cationic, and dicationic bis- and monocyclometalated gold(III) complexes via charge-displacement (CD) analysis. A striking feature concerns the very small net electron charge flux from CO to the metal fragment which is unexpectedly stable toward both the charge of the complex and the oxidation state of gold (I, III). All systems exhibit a similar trend for the σ charge rearrangement in the region of the carbonyl bond, where, by contrast, the π back-donation trend variation is large, which is strictly correlated to the change in CO bond distance and the shift in CO stretching frequencies, in close analogy with the gold(I) carbonyl complexes. In the whole series of gold(III) compounds, a large Au(III) ← CO σ donation is measured (from 0.19 to 0.31 electrons), as well as a significant Au(III) → CO π back-donation (from -0.09 to -0.22 electrons), which however is not generally able to completely balance the polarization of the CO π electrons in the direction from oxygen to carbon (C ← O) induced by the presence of the metal fragment [LAu(III)]^0/+1/+2. Surprisingly, all the gold(III) complexes in the series are characterized by a very small anisotropy in the Au(III) → CO in-plane and out-of-plane π back-donation components, in sharp contrast with the marked anisotropy found before for the experimentally characterized [(C^N^C)Au(III)CO]⁺ complex. A first attempt to figure out a rationale on the bonding/reactivity relationship for Au(III)-CO is made by performing a comparative study with an isostructural [(N^N^C)Pt(II)CO]⁺ complex in a model water-gas shift (WGS) reaction.

A Gold(III) Pincer Ligand Scaffold for the Synthesis of Binuclear and Bioconjugated Complexes: Synthesis and Anticancer Potential

Cyclometalated (C^N^C)Au^III complexes bearing functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands provide a high-yielding, modular route to bioconjugated and binuclear complexes. This methodology has been applied to the synthesis of bioconjugated complexes presenting biotin and 17α-ethynylestradiol vectors, as well as to the synthesis of bimetallic Au^III /Au^I complexes. The in vitro antiproliferative activities of these compounds against various cancer cells lines depend on the linker length, with the longer linker being the most potent. The estradiol conjugate AuC₆ Estra proved to be more toxic against the estrogen receptor positive (ER+) cancer cells than against the ER- cancer cells and non-cancer cells. The bimetallic complex AuC₆ Au was more selective for breast cancer cells with respect to a healthy cell standard than the monometallic complex AuNHC. The metal uptake study on cells expressing or not biotin and estrogen receptors revealed an improved and targeted delivery of gold for both the bioconjugated complexes AuC₆ Biot and AuC₆ Estra compared to the non-vectorised analogue AuNHC. The investigations of the interaction of the bioconjugates and bimetallic complexes with human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA using FRET-melting techniques revealed a reduced ability to stabilize this DNA structure with respect to the non-vectorised analogue AuNHC.

Radical-initiated alkene hydroauration as a route to gold(iii) alkyls: an experimental and computational study

The hydroauration of functionalised 1-alkenes by the gold(iii) hydride (C^NOMe^C)AuH is initiated by organic radicals and proceeds via (C^N^C)Au(ii) radical intermediates following a bimolecular outer-sphere mechanism. The outcome of these reactions is determined by the stability of the gold-substituted radicals, and chemoselectivity correlates with the degree of spin delocalisation in the alkylgold radical intermediates. The reaction is sensitive to steric as well as electronic factors; disubstituted alkenes and alkenes that form unstable radicals give product mixtures or are unreactive. As DFT calculations show, the reactions agree well with the calculated reaction enthalpies and the standard free energy change for the reaction of the gold(ii) radical with the respective alkene.

Carbon–sulfur bond formation by reductive elimination of gold(iii) thiolates

Thiols were found to cleave Au–C bonds in (C^N^C)gold(iii) pincer complexes and to induce C–S reductive elimination reactions, to give aryl thioethers.

Isocyanide insertion into Au–H bonds: first gold iminoformyl complexes

The reaction of gold hydrides with isocyanides leads to η¹-iminoformyl complexes, the first example of an isocyanide insertion in gold chemistry. Key intermediates are gold(ii) isocyanide adducts.

Gold(III) Alkyne Complexes: Bonding and Reaction Pathways

The synthesis and characterization of hitherto hypothetical AuIII π-alkyne complexes is reported. Bonding and stability depend strongly on the trans effect and steric factors. Bonding characteristics shed light on the reasons for the very different stabilities between the classical alkyne complexes of PtII and their drastically more reactive AuIII congeners. Lack of back-bonding facilitates alkyne slippage, which is energetically less costly for gold than for platinum and explains the propensity of gold to facilitate C-C bond formation. Cycloaddition followed by aryl migration and reductive deprotonation is presented as a new reaction sequence in gold chemistry.

Gold(III) NHC Complexes for Catalyzing Dihydroalkoxylation and Hydroamination Reactions

A gold(III) complex of an N-heterocyclic carbene based hemilabile ligand with two pendant pyrazole arms (1,3-bis((1H-pyrazol-3-yl)methyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazole, LH) was synthesized. Complex [LAu(III)Cl₃] is an excellent catalyst for promoting dihydroalkoxylation at room temperature, even catalyzing this reaction at 0 °C. [LAu(III)Cl₃] is one of the most efficient catalysts reported to date for the spirocyclization of alkynyl diols. Furthermore, [LAu(III)Cl₃] catalyzed intra- and intermolecular hydroamination reactions, achieving good to excellent conversions. [LAu(III)Cl₃] is a more efficient catalyst than a gold(I) analogue, [LAu(I)Cl]. The dependence of the quantity of weakly coordinating anion [BAr^F₄]^- ((3,5-trifluoromethyl)phenyl borate) present on catalysis efficiency was probed for the dihydroalkoxylation reaction. X-ray diffraction analysis of single crystals demonstrated the solid-state structure of gold complexes [LAu(III)Cl₃] and [LAu(I)Cl], which displayed the expected square-planar and linear coordination geometries, respectively.

Formation of Gold(III) Alkyls from Gold Alkoxide Complexes

The gold(III) methoxide complex (C∧N∧C)AuOMe (1) reacts with tris(p-tolyl)phosphine in benzene at room temperature under O abstraction to give the methylgold product (C∧N∧C)AuMe (2) together with O=P(p-tol)3 ((C∧N∧C) = [2,6-(C6H3t Bu-4)2pyridine]2-). Calculations show that this reaction is energetically favorable (ΔG = -32.3 kcal mol-1). The side products in this reaction, the Au(II) complex [Au(C∧N∧C)]2 (3) and the phosphorane (p-tol)3P(OMe)2, suggest that at least two reaction pathways may operate, including one involving (C∧N∧C)Au• radicals. Attempts to model the reaction by DFT methods showed that PPh3 can approach 1 to give a near-linear Au-O-P arrangement, without phosphine coordination to gold. The analogous reaction of (C∧N∧C)AuOEt, on the other hand, gives exclusively a mixture of 3 and (p-tol)3P(OEt)2. Whereas the reaction of (C∧N∧C)AuOR (R = But, p-C6H4F) with P(p-tol)3 proceeds over a period of hours, compounds with R = CH2CF3, CH(CF3)2 react almost instantaneously, to give 3 and O=P(p-tol)3. In chlorinated solvents, treatment of the alkoxides (C∧N∧C)AuOR with phosphines generates [(C∧N∧C)Au(PR3)]Cl, via Cl abstraction from the solvent. Attempts to extend the synthesis of gold(III) alkoxides to allyl alcohols were unsuccessful; the reaction of (C∧N∧C)AuOH with an excess of CH2=CHCH2OH in toluene led instead to allyl alcohol isomerization to give a mixture of gold alkyls, (C∧N∧C)AuR' (R' = -CH2CH2CHO (10), -CH2CH(CH2OH)OCH2CH=CH2 (11)), while 2-methallyl alcohol affords R' = CH2CH(Me)CHO (12). The crystal structure of 11 was determined. The formation of Au-C instead of the expected Au-O products is in line with the trend in metal-ligand bond dissociation energies for Au(III): M-H > M-C > M-O.

The nature of the Au–N bond in gold(iii) complexes with aromatic nitrogen-containing heterocycles: the influence of Au(iii) ions on the ligand aromaticity

Aromatic character of nitrogen-containing rings is decreased upon gold(iii) coordination.

The gold(iii)–CO bond: a missing piece in the gold carbonyl complex landscape

Surprisingly, charge-displacement (CD) analysis reveals a significant π back-donation in the gold(iii)–CO bond.

Nucleophilic T-Shaped (LXL)Au(I)-Pincer Complexes: Protonation and Alkylation

We report the synthesis and reactivity of unusual T-shaped (LXL)Au(I)-pincer complexes, based on a carbazole framework flanked by two mesoionic carbenes (MICs). In contrast to other Au(I) complexes, these complexes react with electrophiles. Protonation and alkylation occur either at the metal or the ligand, depending on steric factors. Of particular interest, protonation at gold leads to an unprecedented cationic Au(III) hydride, which gives a ¹H NMR resonance at δ -8.34 ppm. The reactivity of this "hydride", however, shows protic and not hydridic behavior.