Recent Advances in Gold(III) Chemistry: Structure, Bonding, Reactivity, and Role in Homogeneous Catalysis

Over the past decade the organometallic chemistry of gold(III) has seen remarkable advances. This includes the synthesis of the first examples of several compound classes that have long been hypothesized as being part of catalytic cycles, such as gold(III) alkene, alkyne, CO and hydride complexes, and important catalysis-relevant reaction steps have at last been demonstrated for gold, like migratory insertion and beta-H elimination reactions. Also, reaction pathways that were already known, for example the generation of gold(III) intermediates by oxidative addition and their reductive elimination, are much better understood. A deeper understanding of fundamental organometallic reactivity of gold(III) has revealed unexpected mechanistic avenues, which can open when the barriers for reactions that for other metals would be regarded as standard are too high. This review summarizes and evaluates these developments, together with applications of gold(III) in synthesis and catalysis, with emphasis on the mechanistic insight gained in these investigations.

Automated summary

Advances in the organometallic chemistry of gold(III) in the past decade have led to a deeper understanding of synthesis and mechanistic insights, revealing unexpected avenues for reactions that were previously considered standard for other metals.