Gold-catalyzed cycloisomerization of 1,6-diyne esters to 1H-cyclopenta[b]naphthalenes, cis-cyclopenten-2-yl δ-diketones, and bicyclo[3.2.0]hepta-1,5-dienes.

A synthetic method to chemoselectively prepare 1H-cyclopenta[b]naphthalenes, cis-cyclopenten-2-yl δ-diketones, and bicyclo[3.2.0]hepta-1,5-dienes efficiently by gold-catalyzed cycloisomerization of 1,6-diyne esters is described. These three product classes were accessed divergently by taking advantage of the electronic and steric differences between a phosphine and NHC (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) ligand in the respective gold(I) complexes and that of gold(III) complex combined with substrate substitution patterns and optimized reaction conditions. In the presence of [PhCNAuIPr](+)SbF6(-) (IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidine) as the catalyst, substrates with a pendant aryl group at the acetate alkynyl position were found to undergo preferential 1,3-acyloxy migration/5-exo-dig cyclization/Friedel-Crafts reaction to give 1H-cyclopenta[b]naphthalenes. In contrast, the analogous reactions with PicAuCl2 (Pic =2-picolinate) were found to proceed by selective 1,3-acyloxy migration/5-exo-dig cyclization/1,5-acyl migration to afford cis-cyclopenten-2-yl δ-diketones. Changing the catalyst to [MeCNAu(JohnPhos)](+)SbF6(-) (JohnPhos = (1,1'-biphenyl-2-yl)-di-tert-butylphosphine) and the acetate alkynyl position from an aryl to vinyl substituent in the starting ester led to 1,3-acyloxy migration/5-exo-dig cyclization/Prins-type [2 + 2]-cycloaddition to provide bicyclo[3.2.0]hepta-1,5-dienes.