Mechanism of Reductive Elimination of Methyl Iodide from a Novel Gold(III)-Monomethyl Complex

Oxidation of (Idipp)AuMe (Idipp = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) with I, gives a monomethyl Au(III) complex, (Idipp)Aul(2)Me, which decomposes cleanly to MeI and (Idipp)AuI. Kinetics experiments show that this transformation occurs primarily via three-coordinate, cationic [(Idipp)AuIMe](+), which undergoes intramolecular reductive elimination rather than nucleophilic attack by external I-.