Gold-catalyzed hydroarylation of alkynes

The hydroarylation of aryl-substituted alkynes by substituted electron-rich arenes is catalyzed by AuCl3 activated by such silver salts as AgSbF6. In the case of terminal alkynes, complete regioselectivity in favor of the 1,1-disubstituted olefin is observed. In the case of electron-poor alkynes such as acetylenecarboxylic acid ester, gold(I) complexes such as [Ph3PAuCl] activated by Ag salts or BF3.OEt2 are the best catalysts, resulting in opposite regioselectivity and high degrees of (Z) -selectivity. (C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH Co.