Gold(I)-1,3-Diene Complexes: Connecting Structure, Bonding, and Reactivity

摘要

Gold is a very special element, as noted, for example, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who wrote in Faust I, verse 2802 ff.: "Nach Golde drangt, //Am Golde hdngt//Doch alles." ["Toward gold throng all//To gold cling all." English Translation by George Madison Priest] This expression may currently be transferred to gold catalysis; in July 2011 3583 hits were found for gold catalysis when searching the Web of Science. Review articles that received more than 3000 citations are available and clearly show the perspective for this type of catalysis. Out of the multitude of possible transformations catalyzed by Au~I, the fundamentals of the hydroamination reaction of dienes catalyzed by {R3PAu}~+ were recently investigated by C. Russell and S. McGrady. Herein we aim to put this work into a wider perspective.