Gold Complexes with Difunctional Perfluoroalkyl Chains: Quantifying the Energy of Aurophilic Interactions in Flexible Open-Chain Complexes

The first binuclear Au(I)compounds containing bridging (CF2)(n)chains (n=4, 6, 8) and Au(III)metallaperfluorocyclopentanes have been obtained by photoinitiated reactions of LAuMe (L=PPh3, PMe3, PCy3, or IPr) with alpha,omega-diiodoperfluorocarbons. Complexes LAu(CF2)(4)AuL present an unusual looped structure stabilized by an aurophilic interaction for L=PMe3, PPh3, and PCy3. The study of their dynamic behaviour has provided new insights about the strength of aurophilic interactions in solution, allowing quantification of the energy of a single Au...Au interaction.