Engbers S, Klein JEMN. Understanding the Surprising Oxidation Chemistry of Au-OH Complexes.
Chemphyschem 2023;
24:e202200475. [PMID:
36104296 PMCID:
PMC10091708 DOI:
10.1002/cphc.202200475]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Au is known to be fairly redox inactive (in catalysis) and bind oxygen adducts only quite weakly. It is thus rather surprising that stable Au-OH complexes can be synthesized and used as oxidants for both one- and two-electron oxidations. A charged AuIII -OH complex has been shown to cleave C-H and O-H bonds homolytically, resulting in a one-electron reduction of the metal center. Contrasting this, a neutral AuIII -OH complex performs oxygen atom transfer to phosphines, resulting in a two-electron reduction of the hydroxide proton to form a AuIII -H rather than causing a change in oxidation state of the metal. We explore the details of these two examples and draw comparisons to the more conventional reactivity exhibited by AuI -OH. Although the current scope of known Au-OH oxidation chemistry is still in its infancy, the current literature exemplifies the unique properties of Au chemistry and shows promise for future findings in the field.
Collapse