Syntheses of 2,2′-bibenzo[7]annulenes by double Au-catalyzed sequential activation of propargylic carboxylates

Transistor properties of salen-type metal complexes

Schiff base complexes derived from salicylaldehyde and ethylene-, propylene-, and trans-1,2-cyclohexane-diamines exhibit p-channel transistor properties. The Cu complexes are open-shell compounds, but the oxidation and the hole transport occur at the highest occupied molecular orbital, where the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) does not participate in conduction. Although Ni complexes tend to show larger mobilities than Cu complexes owing to the molecular planarity, the presence of SOMO is not harmful to the transistor properties.

Gold-Catalyzed Homogeneous (Cyclo)Isomerization Reactions

Gold is currently one of the most used metals in organometallic catalysis. The ability of gold to activate unsaturated groups in different modes, together with its tolerance to a wide range of functional groups and reaction conditions, turns gold-based complexes into efficient and highly sought after catalysts. Natural products and relevant compounds with biological and pharmaceutical activity are often characterized by complex molecular structures. (Cyclo)isomerization reactions are often a useful strategy for the generation of this molecular complexity from synthetically accessible reactants. In this review, we collect the most recent contributions in which gold(I)- and/or gold(III)-catalysts mediate intramolecular (cyclo)isomerization transformations of unsaturated species, which commonly feature allene or alkyne motifs, and organize them depending on the substrate and the reaction type.