1,2-Migrations onto Gold Carbene Centers

Gold carbenes are highly active intermediates in homogeneous gold catalysis, enabling a large array of transformations such as C-H/X-H insertions, cyclopropanations, and 1,2-migrations. Unlike C-H/X-H insertions and cyclopropanations, 1,2-migrations onto gold carbene centers seem to be attracting less attention. There has been no comprehensive review focusing on this topic, even though this chemistry has become a powerful tool for the rapid and simple construction of molecular complexity. This review provides comprehensive and critical information on the 1,2-migrations onto gold carbene centers, drawing a preliminary conclusion on the migratory aptitude of various groups. The review is divided into several parts according to the kind of carbene precursors.

Automated summary

Gold carbenes are highly active in homogeneous gold catalysis, facilitating various transformations including C-H/X-H insertions, cyclopropanations, and 1,2-migrations. While 1,2-migrations onto gold carbene centers have received less attention compared to other reactions, they have the potential to be a powerful tool for constructing molecular complexity rapidly and simply.