Synthesis of NHC Ligands Containing a Sulfoxide Moiety and Their Use in Cross-Coupling via a Au(I)/(III) Catalytic Cycle

We designed and synthesized a new series of NHCs with a sulfoxide moiety as a hemilabile ligand. We investigated the catalytic activities of Au(I)-NHC complexes in the strong oxidant-free cross-coupling of iodoarenes with 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene. We ascertained that the sulfoxide moiety is critical for the Au(I)/(III) catalytic cycle.

Automated summary

We designed and synthesized a series of NHCs with a sulfoxide moiety and investigated their catalytic activities in the cross-coupling of iodoarenes with 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene in the absence of strong oxidants. We found that the sulfoxide moiety plays a critical role in the Au(I)/(III) catalytic cycle.