Electrochemistry of AuII and AuIII pincer complexes: determination of the AuII-AuII bond energy

The bond energy of the unsupported Au-Au bond in the Au(II) dimer [(C<^>N<^>C)Au](2) and the difference between Au-III-OH and Au-III-H bond enthalpies have been determined experimentally by electrochemical methods, with Au-OH and Au-H complexes showing unexpected differences in their reduction pathways, supported by DFT modelling.