Oxidative Addition to Gold(I) by Photoredox Catalysis: Straightforward Access to Diverse (C,N)-Cyclometalated Gold(III) Complexes

Adrian Tlahuext-Aca; Matthew N Hopkinson; Constantin G Daniliuc; Frank Glorius

doi:10.1002/chem.201602649

Oxidative Addition to Gold(I) by Photoredox Catalysis: Straightforward Access to Diverse (C,N)-Cyclometalated Gold(III) Complexes

Chemistry. 2016 Aug 8;22(33):11587-92. doi: 10.1002/chem.201602649. Epub 2016 Jul 14.

Authors

Adrian Tlahuext-Aca¹, Matthew N Hopkinson¹, Constantin G Daniliuc¹, Frank Glorius²

Affiliations

¹ NRW Graduate School of Chemistry, Organisch-Chemisches Institut, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 40, 48149, Münster, Germany.
² NRW Graduate School of Chemistry, Organisch-Chemisches Institut, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 40, 48149, Münster, Germany. glorius@uni-muenster.de.

PMID: 27338119
DOI: 10.1002/chem.201602649

Abstract

Herein, we report the oxidative addition of aryldiazonium salts to ligand-supported gold(I) complexes under visible light photoredox conditions. This method provides experimental evidence for the involvement of such a process in dual gold/photoredox-catalyzed reactions and delivers well-defined (C,N)-cyclometalated gold(III) species. The remarkably mild reaction conditions and the ability to widely vary the ancillary ligand make this method a potentially powerful synthetic tool to access diverse gold(III) complexes for systematic studies into their properties and reactivity. Initial studies show that these species can undergo chloride abstraction to afford Lewis acidic dicationic gold(III) species.

Keywords: diazonium salts; gold(III) complexes; oxidative addition; photoredox catalysis.