(P^N^C) Ligands to Stabilize Gold(III): A Straightforward Access to Hydroxo, Formate, and Hydride Complexes.

A novel class of (P^N^C) pincer ligands capable of stabilizing elusive gold(III) species is reported here. Straightforward access to (P^N^C)gold(III) hydroxo, formate, and hydride complexes has been streamlined by first incorporating a cycloauration step devoid of toxic metals or harsh conditions. The resulting gold complexes exhibit remarkable stability in solution as well as in the solid state under ambient conditions, which enabled their characterization by X-ray diffraction analyses.

Synthesis and Characterization of Bidentate (P^N)Gold(III) Fluoride Complexes: Reactivity Platforms for Reductive Elimination Studies.

A new family of cationic, bidentate (P^N)gold(III) fluoride complexes has been prepared and a detailed characterization of the gold-fluoride bond has been carried out. Our results correlate with the observed reactivity of the fluoro ligand, which undergoes facile exchange with both cyano and acetylene nucleophiles. The resulting (P^N)arylgold(III)C(sp) complexes have enabled the first study of reductive elimination on (P^N)gold(III) systems, which demonstrated that C(sp )-C(sp) bond formation occurs at higher rates than those reported for analogous phosphine-based monodentate systems.