Reactivity of NHC Au(I)-C sigma-bonds with electrophiles. An investigation of their possible involvement in catalytic C-C bond formation
The first example of the reaction of an isolated gold(I) complex with an aryl halide to form a C-C bond is reported. The reactivity of (NHC) Au(I)-R complexes towards a wide range of electrophiles was investigated. The Au-C sigma-bond is shown to exhibit low nucleophilicity, but it is reactive towards MeI and MeOTf to form toluene, biphenyl and ethane, most likely through an oxidative mechanism. C
