Organogold(III) iminophosphorane complexes as efficient catalysts in the addition of 2-methylfuran and electron-rich arenes to methyl vinyl ketone

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/om700453s

Cycloaurated compounds containing C,N-pincer ligands have been evaluated as precatalysts in the addition reactions of 2-methylfuran and some electron-rich arenes to methyl vinyl ketone. All complexes have displayed a catalytic activity comparable to that reported for Au(I) complexes in the presence of silver salts. Compounds containing iminophosphorane ligands (R₃P=NR′) as C,N-backbones such as [Au{κ²-C,N-C₆H ₄(PPh₂=N(C₆H₄X)-2}Cl₂] (X = H, 13; X = Me, 14) have been found to be the more effective in both the presence and absence of silver salts. With acid-sensitive electron-rich arenes the catalytic activity of these cycloaurated complexes outperformed that of the AuCl₃ salt. The synthesis and characterization of new iminophosphorane coordination and organogold(III) compounds are provided along with the results for the catalytic studies.

Full text of DOI:10.1021/om700453s

4604
Organometallics 2007, 26, 4604-4611
Organogold(III) Iminophosphorane Complexes as Efficient Catalysts
in the Addition of 2-Methylfuran and Electron-Rich Arenes to
Methyl Vinyl Ketone
David Aguilar,‡ Mar´ıa Contel,*,‡, Rafael Navarro,‡ and Esteban P. Urriolabeitia*,‡
Departamento de Compuestos Organometa´licos, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Arago´n,
UniVersidad de Zaragoza-CSIC, Zaragoza E-50009, Spain, and Chemistry Department, Brooklyn College
and The Graduate Center, The City UniVersity of New York (CUNY), 2900 Bedford AVenue, Brooklyn,
New York 11210
ReceiVed May 7, 2007
Cycloaurated compounds containing C,N-pincer ligands have been evaluated as precatalysts in the
addition reactions of 2-methylfuran and some electron-rich arenes to methyl vinyl ketone. All complexes
have displayed a catalytic activity comparable to that reported for Au(I) complexes in the presence of
silver salts. Compounds containing iminophosphorane ligands (R3PdNR′) as C,N-backbones such as
[Au{κ2-C,N-C6H4(PPh2dN(C6H4X)-2}Cl2] (X ) H, 13; X ) Me, 14) have been found to be the more
effective in both the presence and absence of silver salts. With acid-sensitive electron-rich arenes the
catalytic activity of these cycloaurated complexes outperformed that of the AuCl3 salt. The synthesis and
characterization of new iminophosphorane coordination and organogold(III) compounds are provided
along with the results for the catalytic studies.
several C-C and C-heteroatom bond formations.7 The search
for gold(III) compounds as air-stable alternatives to this very
Introduction
Due to a significant untapped potential, gold homogeneous
catalysis is only now recognized as a scientific hotspot,1 with
an increasing number of publications appearing almost on a
weekly basis. The significance of AuI and AuIII complexes as
homogeneous catalysts for several reactions (mainly nucleophilic
additions to π systems, hydrogenations, and some oxidations)
has been only recently addressed.2 There is still a need, however,
to fully understand reaction mechanisms in order to rationally
design more efficient and selective catalysts. It should be
stressed that the vast majority of homogeneous gold catalysts
used to date are gold(III) halides or cationic [Au(PPh3)]+
fragments.3 During the last three years the number of reports
on gold catalysts with different ligands (and therefore with
tunable electronic and steric properties) has increased,4 but
examples of coordination5 or organometallic6 gold(III) com-
plexes are rather limited. There have been a number of reports
on the high efficiency and selectivity of AuCl3 as a catalyst on
hygroscopic and acidic compound thus becomes significant and
truly appealing. We and others have reported on the use of
organogold and coordination gold(III) compounds as catalysts
in the addition of water and alcohols to alkynes6a and in the
1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to nitrones.6b We anticipated that
organogold(III) compounds containing C,N-backbones may be
stable and active catalysts in some C-C bond formations and/
or C-H bond activations. Pincer C,N- or N,C,N-ligand frame-
works are known to confer great stability on this gold high
oxidation state,8 and a large number of Au(III) compounds have
been reported, many of them displaying interesting biological
and medicinal properties.9
We have also reported on the preparation of C,N-cyclopal-
ladated derivatives containing iminophosphorane ligands.10
Iminophosphoranes, R3PdNR′, are a class of compounds that
can be readily prepared by different synthetic routes11 and whose
electronic and steric properties may be tuned through appropriate
* Corresponding authors. Tel: +1(718)9515000, ext. 2833. Fax: +1-
(718)95154607. E-mail: mariacontel@brooklyn.cuny.edu. Tel: +34(976)-
762302. Fax: +34(976)761187. E-mail: esteban@unizar.es.
‡ Universidad de Zaragoza-CSIC.
(5) (a) Hashmi, A. S. K.; Weyrauch, J. P.; Rudolph, M.; Kurpejovic, E.
Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 6545. (b) Gonza´lez-Arellano, C.; Corma,
A.; Iglesias, M.; Sa´nchez, F. Chem. Commun. 2005, 1990. (c) Gonza´lez-
Arellano, C.; Corma, A.; Iglesia, M.; Sa´nchez, F. Chem. Commun. 2005,
3451. (d) Zhou, C.-Y.; Chan, P. W. H.; Che, C.-M. Org. Lett. 2006, 8,
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8, 1529.
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Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 11925, and references therein. (b) Ade´, A.; Cerrada,
E.; Contel, M.; Laguna, M.; Merino, P.; Tejero, T. J. Organomet. Chem.
2004, 689, 1788.
(7) Some significant examples: (a) Hashmi, A. S. K.; Schwarz, L.; Choi,
J.-H.; Frost, T. M. Angew. Chem. 2000, 112, 2382; Angew. Chem., Int. Ed.
2000, 39, 2285. (b) Fu¨rstner, A.; Hannen, P. Chem. Commun. 2004, 2546.
(c) Dorsch, D.; Burgdorf, L. T.; Gerike, R.; Beier, N.; Mederski, W. PCT
Int. Appl. WO 2005123688 A2, 2005; CAN 144:69837. (d) Kusama, H.;
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A.; Ferna´ndez, F.; Rodr´ıguez, F. Fanana´s, F. J. Angew. Chem. 2006, 118,
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10.1021/om700453s CCC: $37.00 © 2007 American Chemical Society
Publication on Web 08/02/2007

Organogold(III) Iminophosphorane Complexes
Organometallics, Vol. 26, No. 18, 2007 4605
Chart 1. Stabilized (1-3) and Semistabilized (4, 5) Iminophosphorane Ligands Used in This Work
Scheme 1. Formation of Coordination Gold(III) Complexes with Stabilized Iminophosphorane Ligands 1-3
choice of R and R′. Not only does the iminophosphorane C,N-
backbone confer a marked stability to the metallic center in d8
square-planar complexes,12 but also the PR3 fragment can be
used as a “spectroscopic marker” to follow reactions by 31P
NMR. This fact may become significant while studying
homogeneous catalytic processes in order to ascertain the nature
of the catalytically active species and/or to identify reaction
intermediates.
obtained by reaction of Na[AuCl4] with stabilized iminophos-
phorane ligands 1-3 at room temperature (Scheme 1).
The compounds are air-stable yellow solids that are almost
insoluble in chlorinated solvents but soluble in highly polar
solvents such as CH3CN. It should be stressed that all attempts
to prepare cycloaurated derivatives by reaction of ligands 1-3
with Na[AuCl4] or AuCl3 in refluxing acetonitrile or THF or
by heating complexes 6-8 have failed. Direct auration with
gold(III) precursors is a method that is successful only with
specific substrates.17 To our surprise, we found that we could
not prepare coordination gold(III) compounds with ligands 4
and 5 by the method described above (Scheme 1). It seems that
the reactivity of semistabilized and stabilized (carbonyl-contain-
ing) iminophosphorane ligands with Au(III) salts is very
different, and these reactions are currently under study in our
laboratories.
We prepared cycloaurated gold(III) derivatives with semi-
stabilized ligands by transmetalation with organomercury
compounds (reactions of gold(III) salts with organolithium or
organomagnesium derivatives are prevented by reduction to
metallic gold).8a Thus treatment of 4 or 5 with PhLi in Et2O at
room temperature affords the lithiated derivatives 918 and 10,
respectively, in high yields. Transmetalation of 918 or 10 to
HgCl2 in Et2O at room temperature affords organomercurial
derivatives 11 and 12. The reaction of 11 or 12 with K[AuCl4]
in acetone at 50 °C (Scheme 2) gives the organogold(III)
compounds [Au{κ2-C,N-C6H4(PPh2dN(C6H4X)-2}Cl2] (X ) H,
13; X ) Me, 14).19 Cyclometalated gold(III) complexes 13 and
14 have distinct 31P NMR chemical shifts of δ 65.8 (12) and
65.0 (13) ppm that are markedly different from the 31P NMR
chemical shifts of the coordination gold compounds, δ 41.3 (6),
41.7 (7), and 42.1 (8) ppm (NMR measured in CDCl3, see
Experimental Section).
Herein we report on the synthesis and characterization of
gold(I) and -(III) coordination and organometallic complexes
with the iminophosphorane ligands 1-5 (Chart 1).13
We have evaluated their catalytic activity (along with the
catalytic activity of some other cycloaurated derivatives contain-
ing C,N-pincer ligands that had been previously described)8a,14,15
in the addition reactions of electron-rich arenes to methyl vinyl
ketone. Gold(III) chloride and some gold(I) complexes in the
presence of silver salts have been used before as catalysts in
this type of reactions.16 We will compare our results to those
previously reported to address the possibility of using organ-
ogold(III) catalysts as an alternative to AuCl3.
Results and Discussion
1. Synthesis of Coordination and Cycloaurated Gold(III)
Complexes. New coordination gold(III) compounds (6-8) were
(9) Some selected examples: (a) Vicente, J.; Bermu´dez, M. D.; Escribano,
J. Organometallics 1991, 10, 3380, and references therein. (b) Cinellu, M.
A.; Zucca, A.; Stoccoro, S.; Minghetti, G.; Manassero, M.; Sansoni, M. J.
Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. 1995, 2865. (c) Buckley, R.; Elsome, A.; Fricker,
S.; Henderson, G.; Theobald, B.; Parish, R.; Howe, B.; Kelland, L. J. Med.
Chem. 1996, 39, 5208. (d) Contel, M.; Nobel, D.; Spek, A. L.; van Koten,
G. Organometallics 2000, 19, 3288. (e) Casas, J. S.; Castan˜o, M. V.;
Cifuentes, M. C., Garc´ıa-Monteagudo, J. C.; Sa´nchez, A.: Sordo, J.; Abram,
U. J. Inorg. Biochem. 2004, 98, 1009. (f) Henderson, W.; Nicholson, B.
K.; Wilkins, A. L. J. Organomet. Chem. 2005, 690, 4971.
(10) Bielsa, R.; Larrea, A.; Navarro, R.; Soler, T.; Urriolabeitia, E. P.
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2005, 1724.
A more interesting and environmentally friendly (greener)
synthetic method20 is the transmetalation of the iminophospho-
(11) (a) Staudinger, H.; Meyer, J. J. HelV. Chim. Acta 1919, 2, 635. (b)
Kirsanov, A. V. Chem. Abstr. 1951, 45, 1503. (c) Kirsanov, A. V. Zh.
Obshch. Khim. 1952, 22, 269. (d) Kirsanov, A. V. Chem. Abstr. 1952, 46,
11135. (e) Kirsanov, A. V. IsV. Akad. Nauk SSSR 1950, 426. (f) Bittner,
S.; Pomerantz, M.; Assaf, Y.; Krief, P.; Xi, S.; Witczak, M. K. J. Org.
Chem 1988, 53, 1.
(16) (a) Dyker, G.; Muth, E.; Hashmi, A. S. K.; Ding, L. AdV. Synth.
Catal. 2003, 345, 1247. (b) Hashmi, A. S. K.; Grundl, L. Tetrahedron 2005,
61, 6231. (c) Hashmi, A. S. K.; Schwarz, L.; Rubenbauer, P.; Blanco, M.
C. AdV. Synth. Catal. 2006, 348, 705. (d) Hashmi, A. S. K.; Salathe, R.;
Frey, W. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2007, 1648.
(17) Recent example: Zhu, Y.; Cameron, B. R.; Skerli, R. T. J.
Organomet. Chem. 2003, 677, 57, and references therein.
(12) Alper, H. J. Organomet. Chem. 1977, 127, 385.
(13) (a) Bittner, S.; Assaf, Y.; Krief, P.; Pomerantz, M.; Ziemmnicka,
B. T.; Smith, C. G., J. Org. Chem. 1985, 50, 1712. (b) Gololobov, Y. G.;
Kasukhin, L. F. Tetrahedron 1992, 48, 1353.
(14) Bonnardel, P. A.; Parish, R. V.; Pritchard, R. G. J. Chem. Soc.,
Dalton Trans. 1996, 3185.
(15) Constable, E. C.; Leese, T. A. J. Organomet. Chem. 1989, 363,
419.
(18) Stuckwish, C. G. J. Org. Chem. 1976, 41, 1173.
(19) Aguilar, D.; Contel, M.; Navarro, R.; Urriolabeitia, E. P. XXII
International Conference on Organometallic Chemistry (July 2006, Zaragoza,
Spain). Book of abstracts. Poster presentation included X-ray crystal
structure (with selected angles and bond distances) of compound 13.
(20) Contel, M.; Stol, M.; Casado, M. A.; van Klink, G. P. M.; Ellis, D.
D.; Spek, A. L.; van Koten, G. Organometallics 2002, 21, 4556.

4606 Organometallics, Vol. 26, No. 18, 2007
Aguilar et al.
Scheme 2. Formation of Lithiated Organomercury and Organogold(I) and -(III) Complexes with Semistabilized
Iminophosphorane Ligands 4 and 5
Scheme 3. Gold-Catalyzed Reaction of 2-Methylfuran (17)
rane fragment from the Au(I) derivatives 15 and 16 to the Au-
(III) salt K[AuCl4] (Scheme 2) to afford the cyclometalated
and MVK (18)
compounds 13 and 14 (see Experimental Section). The new
gold(I) compounds 15 and 16 can be obtained as air-stable white
solids by reaction of the lithiated derivatives 918 and 10 with
AuCl(PPh3) in Et2O at -78 °C in high yields. While preparing
this article for submission, a report on the synthesis and
characterization of compounds 11 and 13 appeared.21 The
authors reported on the determination of the crystal structure
of 13 by X-ray studies (we had also independently determined
the structure of this compound).19 This study showed that the
Au(III) center is in a square-planar environment (to +0.05 Å),
attached to two Cl ligands and to the N and an ortho-C atom of
the Ph3PdNPh ligand. The five-membered metallocyclic ring
generated (significantly puckered) affords a relatively rigid
“bite” angle N-Au-C (84.9(2)°). As expected, the higher trans
influence of C versus N is reflected in the longer Au-Cl(1)
distance compared to Au-Cl(2).21 While the rigid C,N-backbone
affords a stable gold(III) compound, the presence of labile Cl
groups will allow the preparation of new cycloaurated complexes
(with different steric and electronic properties) by ligand
exchange reactions. Details on the synthesis and characterization
of all the new lithiated organomercury and gold complexes are
provided in the Experimental Section.
The amount of catalyst required is 1 mol %, and the reaction
proceeds in 40 min (80-90% yield, Table 1). Some gold(I)
complexes such as [AuCl(PEt3)] and [AuCl(tht)] (tht ) tet-
rahydrothiophene) that were initially inactive in the reaction of
17 with MVK, after the addition of 1 equiv of AgBF4, became
active and afforded high conversions after 24 h (Table 1, entries
2 and 3). This and the fact that the addition of AuCl3 (1 equiv)
to a solution of 1 equiv of 2-methylfuran (17) modifies the
1
signals in the H NMR spectrum led to an initial working
hypothesis that an electrophilic C-H activation might be the
crucial step. Such a mechanism is supported by a report on the
direct auration of thiophene and furan with [Au(PPh3)]+
fragments.22 Several experiments with various electron-rich
arenes were tested for the addition reactions to MVK (18) as a
model compound. Some acids (such as H[AuCl4], HCl, or HBF4)
were also evaluated. From the different results, the authors
pointed out that AuCl3 in the presence of water may form a
Bro¨nsted acid with an aurate counterion that might be the active
species as well. [AuCl4]- anions catalyze the addition of
nucleophiles to multiple bonds6a as well as some 1-3-dipolar
cycloaddition reactions.6b However, the differences in selectivity
observed with Bro¨nsted acids and gold catalysts can be
2. Catalytic Studies. We were interested in testing some of
these complexes as catalysts in C-C bond forming processes
that are believed to proceed under C-H activation. The
processes chosen were the reactions of R,â-unsaturated ketones
with furans and electron-rich arenes. Dyker and Hashmi
showed16a that AuCl3 nicely catalyzes the addition of 2-meth-
ylfuran 17 to methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) 18 (Scheme 3).
(21) Brown, S. D. J.; Henderson, W.; Kilpin, K. J.; Nicholson, B. K.
Inorg. Chim. Acta 2007, 360, 1310.
(22) Porter, K. A.; Schier, A.; Schmidbaur, H. Organometallics 2003,
22, 4922.

Organogold(III) Iminophosphorane Complexes
Organometallics, Vol. 26, No. 18, 2007 4607
Table 1. Results of the Addition Reactions of Methyl Vinyl
Ketone (MKV) 18 to 2-Methylfuran (17) at Room
Temperaturea
Chart 2. Previously Reported Organometallic Gold(III)
Compounds with C,N-Pincer Ligands Used as Catalysts in
the Gold-Catalyzed Addition Reaction of 2-Methylfuran (17)
and MKV (18)
entry
catalyst (mol %)
silver salt (mol %)
time
yield (%)c
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
AuCl3 (1)b
[AuCl(PEt3)] (1)b
[AuCl(tht)] (1)b
20 (1)
20 (1)
20 (1)
21 (1)
21 (1)
21 (1)
13 (1)
13 (1)
13 (2)
13 (1)
13 (1)
13 (1)
14 (1)
14 (1)
14 (1)
0
40 min
24 h
24 h
18 h
6 h
18 h
18 h
6 h
18 h
18 h
6 h
6 h
18 h
6 h
80-90
80
90
0
50
83
0
65
80
45
35
43
85
75
78
80
72
38
92
0
AgBF4 (1)
AgBF4 (1)
0
AgOTf (2.2)
AgOTf (2.2)
0
AgOTf (2.2)
AgOTf (2.2)
0
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
0
0
Scheme 4. Gold-Catalyzed Reaction of Azulene (22) and
MVK (18)
AgOTf (2.2)
AgOTf (2.2)
AgOTf (1.1)
AgOTf (2.2)
AgOTf (2.2)
0
AgBF4 (2.2)
AgOTf (2.2)
AgBF4 (2.2)
6 h
18 h
6 h
6 h
13 (1)
18 h
18 h
18 h
18 h
18 h
0
6
6
0
AgOTf (2.2)
65d
a Reaction conditions: the reactions were performed at 25 °C in a Kontex
tube using 2 mmol of 17, 2 mmol of 18, 0.02 mmol of gold complex, and
0.044 mmol (or 0.022 mmol) of silver salt in 5 mL of CH3CN as solvent.
Scheme 5. Gold-Catalyzed Reaction of
1,3,5-Trimethoxybenzene (24) and MVK (18) to Afford the
Monoaddition Product 25
c
bReference 16. Yields were obtained on isolated product. Details on
procedures and workup of the reaction mixture are given in the Supporting
d
Information. Abundant decomposition to metallic gold observed.
explained either by specific acid catalysis or by direct participa-
tion of the metal. They concluded that although these experi-
ments do not rule out a C-H activation of the aromatic system
by the gold catalyst, the interpretation of the results with acidic
metal catalysts has to be considered in a careful way. More
recently Hashmi et al. have reported on similar hydroarylation
reactions (carbonyl compounds with furans, electron-rich arenes,
and even pyrroles) catalyzed by gold(III) salts.16b-d Shi and He
reported analogous reactions of electron-rich arenes with ac-
ceptor-susbtituted alkenes and alkynes (catalyzed by in situ
generated “Au(Otf)3” species).23 In all these reactions it is not
clear whether the gold activates the double or triple C-C bonds
or if there is a C-H activation of the electron-rich arenes. More
recent work of Shi and He (unusual regioselectivity in the gold-
catalyzed reaction of epoxides and arenes24a and a report on
the gold-catalyzed alkylation of primary sulfonate esters with
arenes24b) has pointed out a contribution of arylgold species and
thus electrophilic C-H activation. Ascertaining the nature of
the gold species involved in these reactions has become,
therefore, a matter of increasing interest. We anticipated that
gold(III) complexes with C,N-backbones may be stable catalysts
in the above-described reactions while allowing the identification
of some gold intermediates by NMR spectroscopy.
These results encouraged us to test the new cycloaurated
compounds containing iminophosphorane ligands (Table 1).
Compounds [Au{κ2-C,N-C6H4(PPh2dN(C6H4X))-2}Cl2] (X )
H, 13; X ) Me-3, 14) were active in the presence of 2.2 equiv
of AgOTf or AgBF4 in the reaction between 2-methylfuran and
MVK (eq 3, entries 13, 14, 16, 17, 19). We demonstrated that
both AgBF4 and AgOTf are completely inactive in these addition
reactions (entries 20 and 21) and that high yields (75 to 85%)
could be obtained with 1 mol % of gold catalyst after 18 (entries
13 and 16) or even 6 h (entries 14 and 17). The reaction affords
similar yields when performed in the presence of a substoichio-
metric amount of silver salt (entry 15). Even in the absence of
silver salts both compounds displayed catalytic activity, although
the yields of product were lower (entries 10-12 and 18). We
evaluated a coordination gold(III) compound (derivative 6). In
the absence of silver salts the derivative was totally inactive
(entry 22). By addition of 2 equiv of AgOtf we got a conversion
of 65% (entry 23). We observed, however, that the compound
decomposes to metallic gold during the catalytic process (as
opposed to the reactions with cycloaurated compounds). The
C,N-backbone is thus conferring stability to the Au(III) center,
as it will be described later on.
We tested two organogold(III) complexes with C,N-pincer
ligands (20, 21; Chart 2) whose synthesis had been previously
addressed8a,14,15 in the reaction of 17 and 18 (Table 1). We
observed that although the compounds were completely inactive,
the addition of 2 equiv of a silver salt (AgOTf, OTf )
OSO2CF3-) generates a catalytically active species, as product
19 was obtained in yields of 83% (20) and 80% (21) after 18
h (entries 6 and 9).
Other addition reactions of electron-rich arenes and MVK
were also evaluated (Schemes 4 and 5). We chose acid-sensitive
azulene (22) and 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene (24), which had given
the double addition product (23) and the monoaddition product
(25) with AuCl3 as catalyst with tremendous selectivity.
(23) Shi, Z.; He, C. J. Org. Chem. 2004, 69, 3669.
(24) (a) Shi, Z.; He, C. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 5964. (b) Shi, Z.;
He, C. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 13596.

4608 Organometallics, Vol. 26, No. 18, 2007
Aguilar et al.
Scheme 7. Equilibrium of Neutral and Cationic
Table 2. Results of the Addition Reactions of Methyl Vinyl
Ketone (MKV) 18 to Electronrich Arenes Ar-H (22 and 24)
at Room Temperaturea
Cycloaurated Species in a Polar Solvent
catalyst
(mol %)
silver salt
(mol %)
entry arene
time
yield (%)c
1
2
2
3
4
5
22
22
24
24
22
24
AuCl3 (1)b
13 (1.5)
0
2 min-3 d
50-55
88
99
73
80
AgOTf (3.3) 24 h
24 h
AuCl3 (1)b
13 (1.5)
0
AgOTf (3.3) 24 h
AgOTf (3.3) 24 h
AgOTf (3.3) 24 h
14 (1.5)
14 (1.5)
and 31P NMR spectra) of the organogold solvate and/or those
assigned to the organic substrates.
71
a Reaction conditions: the reactions were performed at 25 °C in a Kontex
tube using 2 mmol of 17, 2 mmol of 18, 0.03 mmol of gold complex, and
The addition of MVK (18) and 17 to a CD3CN solution of
26 (molar ratio 15:15:1) gives product 18 over time (peaks that
can be assigned to product 18 appeared almost immediately after
mixing the reagents in the NMR tube; see Supporting Informa-
tion) without apparent change in the 31P and 1H NMR chemical
shifts for 26. This fact suggests that the limiting step of the
catalytic cycle is the coordination of the substrates to the metallic
center and that any other further steps should be very fast. While
the catalysis is taking place, a little decomposition to metallic
gold is observed for longer reaction periods (18-24 h), but most
of the original catalyst is still present at the end of the reaction,
as demonstrated by 31P NMR experiments (see Figure 1c in
Supporting Information). Thus, the gold(III) cationic solvated
species behaves as an active and stable catalyst. Although we
have not been able to identify a reaction intermediate to
demonstrate that the reaction takes place by electrophilic C-H
activation, in the case of our cycloaurated catalytic systems there
is little room for thinking in acid catalysis mechanisms (via
formation of [AuCln(OH)x]- anions {n + x ) 4} and H+ as
counterion). The cycloaurated complexes described here are
much less acidic than AuCl3. Although the C-H activation of
ketones by organogold(III) complexes containing C,N-pincer
ligands has been documented,25 we have not seen the formation
of ketonylgold(III) complexes in the reaction of 26 with MVK
(the reactivity of 26 and related species with akynes and alkenes
is currently being investigated in our laboratories). An inter-
pretation of Hashmi and Dyker’s and our own results may be
that both Au(III) and Au(I) cationic species are able to catalyze
these additions by electrophilic C-H activation of the furan or
arenes. In the case of AuCl3 electrophilic C-H activation as
well as specific acid catalysis may be responsible for the high
catalytic activity observed. Moreover, with acidic-sensitive
substrates the catalytic activity with AuCl3 is moderate, whereas
the cycloaurated gold(III) derivatives display a higher catalytic
performance.
As pointed out before, neutral complexes 13 and 14 are able
to catalyze this reaction in the absence of silver salts, but they
afford lower yields. The formation of a cationic species, by “in
situ” dissociation of a chloride ligand, can be easily inferred
taking into account the high polarity of the solvent (MeCN),
the zwitterionic nature of the cycloaurated ligand, and the high
trans effect of the arylic carbon atom. This transient cationic
species, in equilibrium with its neutral form (Scheme 7), could
be responsible for the catalytic activity observed.
The differences in catalytic performance, in the absence of
silver salts, between cycloaurated complex 20 or 21 and the
orthometalated derivatives 13 and 14 is quite surprising. Subtle
differences in the charge distribution over the cycloaurated ring
containing the PPh3 fragment (in the case of the iminophos-
phorane ligands) may be related to the different behavior
observed. While cycloaurated compounds generate stable cat-
b
0.066 mmol of silver salt in 5 mL of CH3CN as solvent. Reference 16.
cYields were obtained on isolated product. Details on procedures and workup
of the reaction mixture are given in the Supporting Information.
Scheme 6. Formation of New Cationic Solvated
Cycloaurated Species 26 (NMR Experiment Conditions)
Cycloaurated compounds 13 and 14 were efficient catalysts
in the presence of silver salts (Table 2). It is remarkable that
with AuCl3 compound 23 could be obtained in only a 55% yield
after 3 days (Table 2, entry 1), whereas for 13 or 14 yields of
90% can be obtained after 24 h (entries 2 and 4). In this case
the more acidic character of AuCl3 versus the less acidic
character of 13 or 14 (even less so by removal of the Cl ligands)
may be responsible for a lower yield. This is an indication that
electronic and/or steric modifications of the coordination
environment around the gold(III) center may result in an
improved catalytic performance. The organogold(III) compounds
are a better alternative to AuCl3 for acidic-sensitive substrates.
As previously reported by Dyker and Hashmi,16a we found
tremendous selectivity in the reaction of 24 with MVK, and
the monoaddition product 25 was the only product obtained.
However, the yield obtained after 24 h (73%, entry 4) was lower
than that obtained with AuCl3 (99%, entry 3).
In order to prove that the only effect that the addition of silver
salts had on these C,N-organometallic complexes was the
formation of new cationic species by removal of the chloride
ligands, some NMR experiments were carried out (Scheme 6).
New cationic solvated species 26 were spectroscopically
identified (although they could not be isolated; see Experimental
Section). The cationic character of these species can be inferred
from the downfield shift of the 31P signal (from 65.6 ppm in 13
to 66.9 ppm in 26). Species 26 is stable in CD3CN solution at
5 °C during at least 30 h and more than 15 h at room
temperature. These observations indicate that, in the absence
of other substrates, the catalytically active species is stable under
reaction conditions (room temperature, polar solvent).
We tested the addition of 2-methylfuran (17) to these cationic
species (molar ratio 1:1) at low and room temperatures (NMR
experiments). We could not observe, however, a considerable
change in the δ of the signals assigned to 2-methylfuran in the
1H NMR spectrum or to those assigned to the solvated species.
Similar results were obtained while adding MVK (molar ratio
1:1) to a solution of 26 in CD3CN, since no changes could be
observed in the shape and positions of the NMR signals (1H
(25) Vicente, J.; Bermu´dez, M. D.; Carrillo, M.-P.; Jones, P. G. J. Chem.
Soc., Dalton Trans. 1992, 1975.

Organogold(III) Iminophosphorane Complexes
Organometallics, Vol. 26, No. 18, 2007 4609
[AuCl3{N(dPPh3)C(O)C6H4OMe-4}], 7. Complex 7 was pre-
pared following the same method as that reported for 6. 2 (0.200
g, 0.48 mmol) reacted with Na[AuCl4] (0.193 g, 0.48 mmol) in
CH3CN (20 mL) to give 7 as a yellow solid. Yield: 0.221 g, 0.31
mmol, 63.6%. Complex 7 was crystallized from a CH2Cl2/Et2O
mixture, giving crystals of 7‚0.8CH2Cl2, which were subsequently
used for analytic purposes. Anal. Calcd for [C26H22AuCl3-
NO2P]‚0.8CH2Cl2 (782.71): C, 41.12; H, 3.04; N, 1.79. Found:
C, 40.93; H, 3.15; N, 2.01. MS (FAB+): 608 (15%) [M - Cl3]+.
ionic complexes that may be the active catalytic species,
coordination compounds also generate cationic species (by
removal of Cl- anions with silver salts) that display moderate
catalytic performance. The main difference between the orga-
nogold and coordination gold(III) complexes is that the latter
decompose to metallic gold under reaction conditions. The C,N-
backbone is thus an important tool to stabilize the gold(III)
centers and to generate stable and active catalytic species.
IR: ν 1625 (νCO), 1269 (νPN) cm-1
.
31P{1H} NMR (CDCl3): δ
Conclusion
1
41.7. H NMR 300 MHz (CDCl3): δ 3.86 (s, 3H, OMe),7.98 (d,
3
2H, H3,5, JH3-2 ) Hz), 7.62-7.67 (m, 6H, Hm-PPh3), 7.73-7.80
In conclusion, we have prepared new cycloaurated gold(III)
compounds with iminophosphorane ligands that are efficient
catalysts in the addition of 2-methylfuran and electron-rich
arenes to methyl vinyl ketone in the presence of silver salts.
From NMR experiments it can be concluded that cyclometalated
gold(III) cationic derivatives might be the catalytically active
species in these addition reactions by, more plausibly, electro-
philic gold C-H activation of 2-methylfuran or the electron-
rich arenes as a first step. These promising preliminary results
may be the basis for future studies on organogold(III) derivatives
as a replacement for AuCl3 in some catalytic reactions by tuning
the electronic and steric properties on the iminophosphorane
ligand or by ligand exchange reactions of the labile Cl on these
molecules.
(m, 3H Hp-PPh3), 7.93-8.00 (m, 6H, Ho-PPh3), 8.21 (d, 2H, H2,6
,
3JH2-3 ) Hz).
[AuCl3{N(dPPh3)C(O)C6H4Br-2}], 8. Complex 8 was prepared
following the same method as that reported for 6. 3 (0.200 g, 0.43
mmol) was reacted with Na[AuCl4] (0.173 g, 0.43 mmol) in CH3CN
(20 mL) to give 8 as a yellow solid. Yield: 0.195 g, 0.25 mmol,
59.0%. Complex 8 was crystallized from a CH2Cl2/Et2O mixture,
giving crystals of 8·CH2Cl2, which were subsequently used for
analytic purposes. Anal. Calcd for [C25H19AuBrCl3NO2P]‚CH2Cl2
(848.56): C, 36.80; H, 2.50; N, 1.65. Found: C, 36.50; H, 2.90;
N, 2.01. MS (FAB+): 657 (10%) [M - Cl3]+. IR: ν 1641 (νCO),
1
1306 (νPN) cm-1
.
31P{1H} NMR (CDCl3): δ 42.2. H NMR 300
MHz (CDCl3): δ 7.08 (td, 1H, H4, 3JH4-5,3 ) 7.6 Hz, 4JH4-6 ) 1.8
Hz), 7.20 (td, 1H, H5, 3JH5-4,6 ) 7.5 Hz, 4JH5-3 ) 1.1 Hz), 7.39-
7.44 (m, 6H, Hm-PPh3), 7.48-7.52 (m, 4H, H3 + Hp-PPh3), 7.75-
7.81 (m, 7H, H6 + Ho-PPh3).
Experimental Section
1b. Synthesis and Characterization of the New Organomer-
cury (12), Organogold(III) (14), and Organogold(I) (15, 16)
Derivatives with the Semistabilized Iminophosphorane Ligands
(4, 5). [Hg{C6H4(PPh2dN(C6H4Me))-2}Cl], 12. To a solution of
[Li{C6H4(PPh2dN(C6H4Me))-2}]n (10) (generated in situ by mixing
2.72 mmol, 1.0 g, of 5 and 2.1 mL, 3.8 mmol, of PhLi 1.8 M) in
dry Et2O at room temperature under N2 was added HgCl2 (0.492
g, 1.81 mmol). The reaction mixture was stirred for 5 h. The Et2O
was completely removed, and the white residue was extracted with
CH2Cl2. The resulting colorless solution was filtered through Celite
and the solvent subsequently removed under vacuum to yield an
oily product that gave 12 as a white solid compound after treatment
with 15 mL of n-hexane. Yield: 0.790 g, 1.31 mmol, 72.3%. C24H19-
NPHgCl (MW ) 602.50 g/mol). MS(MALDI+) [m/z, (%)]: 603
Solvents were dried and distilled under argon using standard
procedures before use. Elemental analyses were carried out on a
Perkin-Elmer 2400-B microanalyzer. Infrared spectra (4000-200
cm-1) were recorded on a Perkin-Elmer 883 infrared spectropho-
1
tometer from Nujol mulls between polyethylene sheets. The H,
13C{1H}, and 31P{1H} NMR spectra were recorded in CDCl3 or
CD3CN or solutions at 25 °C (other temperatures were specified)
on Bruker ARX-300, AvanceII-300, Avance-400, and Avance-500
spectrometers (δ, ppm; J, Hz); 1H and 13C{1H} NMR were
referenced using the solvent signal as internal standard, while 31P-
{1H} NMR was externally referenced to H3PO4 (85%). The mass
spectra (MALDI+) were recorded from CH2Cl2 solutions on a
MALDI-TOF Microflex (Bruker) spectrometer (DCTB as matrix).
Compound 9 was prepared as previously reported.18 Complexes
11 and 13 have been recently reported,21 and experimental details
will not be included here.
1
[M]+. 31P{1H} NMR (CDCl3): δ 9.6. H NMR (CDCl3): δ 1.74
(s, 3H, Me), 6.31-6.32 (m, 2H), 6.53 (s, 1H), 6.64 (t, 1H, JH5-H4,6
4
4
) 7.7 Hz), 7.19 (tdd, 1H, JH4′-P ) 4.0 Hz, JH4′-H6′ ) 1.3 Hz,
3JH4′-H3′,5′ ) 7.6 Hz), 7.27-7.31 (m, 4H, Hm-PPh2), 7.38-7.49 (m,
4H, H5′ + H3′ + Hp-PPh2), 7.67-7.71 (m, 4H, Hp-PPh2), 7.77 (dd,
1. Synthesis of the New Compounds. 1a. Synthesis and
Characterization of the Gold(III) Coordination Compounds (6-
8) with Stabilized Iminophosphorane Ligands (1-3). [AuCl3-
{N(dPPh3)C(O)C6H4Me-2}], 6. To a solution of 1 (0.100 g, 0.25
mmol) in CH3CN (20 mL) was added Na[AuCl4] (0.101 g, 0.25
mmol). The resulting yellow reaction mixture was stirred at room
temperature during 24 h. The solvent was removed under vacuum,
and the oily residue obtained was dissolved in CH2Cl2 (10 mL)
and filtered through a Celite pad. The clear yellow solution was
evaporated to dryness and the residue treated with a mixture of
Et2O and n-hexane (3:1) to give 6 as a yellow solid, which was
filtered and dried under vacuum. Yield: 0.146 g, 0.21 mmol, 83.6%.
Complex 6 was crystallized from a CH2Cl2/n-hexane mixture, giving
microcrystals of 6‚1.5CH2Cl2, which were subsequently used for
analytic purposes. Anal. Calcd for [C26H22AuCl3NOP]‚1.5CH2Cl2
(826.16): C, 39.98; H, 3.05; N, 1.69. Found: C, 40.32; H, 3.02;
N, 1.92. MS (FAB+): 592 (5%) [M - Cl3]+. IR: ν 1644 (νCO),
4
3
1H, H6′, JH6′-H4′ ) 1.5 Hz, JH6′-H5′ ) 7.9 Hz). 13C{1H} NMR
(CDCl3): δ 21.07 (Me), 117.94 (s, C4, NPh), 119.47 (d, C6, NPh,
3JPC ) 14.1), 125.65 (d, C2, NPh, JPC ) 19.9), 125.90 (d, C4′,
3
C6H4, 3JPC ) 14.9), 127.61 (s, C5, NPh), 128.41 (d, Cm, PPh2, 3JPC
4
) 11.4), 130.19 (d, C5′, C6H4, JPC ) 3.4), 131.23 (d, Cp, PPh2,
4JPC ) 2.7), 131.47 (d, Cipso, PPh2, JPC ) 84.2), 132.73 (d, C3′,
1
2
2
C6H4, JPC ) 19.2), 133.00 (d, Co, PPh2, JPC ) 9.4), 137.58 (d,
4
1
C3, NPh, JPC ) 2.2), 138.79 (d, C2′, C6H4, JPC ) 131.2), 139.56
(d, C6′, C6H4, 3JPC ) 15.7), 150.46 (d, C1, NPh, 2JPC ) 3.0), 174.23
2
(d, C1′, C6H4, JPC ) 18.3).
[Au{κ2-C,N-C6H4(PPh2dN(C6H4Me))-2}Cl2], 14. To a solution
of 12 (0.200 g, 0.33 mmol) in 20 mL of acetone was added
K[AuCl4] (0.125 g, 0.33 mmol). The resulting yellow solution was
stirred at 40 °C during 1 h. The acetone was completely removed
and the orange residue extracted with CH2Cl2 to afford an oily
compound that gave 14 as a yellow solid after treatment with
n-hexane/Et2O (1:2). Yield: 0.125 g, 0.20 mmol, 60%. Anal. Calcd
for C25H21AuCl2NP (634.05): C, 47.36; H, 3.34; N, 2.21. Found:
C, 46.90; H, 3.05; N, 2.13. MS(MALDI+) [m/z, (%)]: 634.33 [M]+.
31P{1H} NMR (CDCl3): δ 65.0. 1H NMR (CDCl3): δ 2.13 (s, 3H,
1298 (νPN) cm-1
(CDCl3): δ 2.43 (s, 3H, Me),7.16 (d, 1H, H3, JH3-4 ) 7.7 Hz),
7.26 (td, 2H, H4,5,3JH4-3,5 ) 7.5 Hz, 4JH4-H6 ) 1.5 Hz), 7.57-7.61
(m, 6H, Hm-PPh3), 7.68-7.72 (m, 3H Hp-PPh3), 7.92-7.97 (m,
6H, Ho-PPh3), 7.99 (dd, 1H, H6, JH6-5 ) 7.4 Hz, JH6-H4 ) 1.4
Hz).
.
31P{1H} NMR (CDCl3): δ 41.4. 1H NMR
3
3
4

4610 Organometallics, Vol. 26, No. 18, 2007
Aguilar et al.
Me), 6.77 (s, 1H, H2, NAr), 6.82-6.85 (m, 2H, H4+H6, NAr), 6.96
(t, 1H, H5, NAr, 3JHH ) 7.7), 7.13 (dd, 1H, H3′, C6H4, 4JHH ) 1.5,
3JHH ) 7.5), 7.36 (td, 1H, H4′, C6H4, 4JHH ) 0.6, 3JHH ) 7.4), 7.50
(td, 1H, H5′, C6H4), 7.59 (t, 4H, Hm, PPh2), 7.70-7.77 (m, 6H,
Hp+Ho, PPh2), 8.38 (dd, 1H, H6′, C6H4). 13C{1H} NMR (CDCl3):
1H, H3′, C6H4), 7.68 (m, 4H, Ho, PPh2), 7.73 (m, 1H, H6′, C6H4,).
13C{1H} NMR (CDCl3): δ 21.45 (Me), 116.97 (C4, NPh), 119.89
(d, C6, NPh, 3JPC ) 16.0), 124.74 (d, C4′, C6H4, 3JPC ) 12.8), 124.80
(d, C2, NPh, 3JPC ) 20.4), 127.89 (d, Cm, PPh2, 3JPC ) 11.5), 128.65
4
(overlapped C5, NPh + Cm, PPh3), 129.31 (dd, C5′, C6H4, JPC
)
1
4
4
δ 21.16 (Me), 124.56 (d, Ci, PPh2, JPC ) 93.9), 126.61 (d, C6,
3.6, JPC ) 4.9), 130.51 (d, Cp, PPh2, JPC ) 2.6), 130.72 (d, Cp,
3
5
4
1
NAr, JPC ) 5.7), 127.14 (d, C4, NAr, JPC ) 2.2), 128.03 (d, C5,
PPh3, JPC ) 2.2), 130.89 (d, Cipso, PPh2, JPC ) 50.0), 132.96 (d,
Co, PPh2, 2JPC ) 8.8), 133.63 (d, Cipso, PPh3, 1JPC ) 99.9), 133.81
(dd, C3′, C6H4, 2JPPh2C ) 17.0, 4JPPh3C ) 6.2), 134.39 (d, Co, PPh3,
2JPC ) 13.9), 136.60 (d, C3, NPh, 4JPC ) 2.4), 137.94 (d, C2′, C6H4,
4
3
NAr, JPC ) 1.7), 128.39 (d, C4′, C6H4, JPC ) 13.1), 129.53 (d,
Cm, PPh2, 3JPC ) 12.7), 129.74 (d, C3′, C6H4, 2JPC ) 18.3), 130.63
(d, C2,NAr, 4JPC ) 5.9), 133.44 (d, Co, PPh2, 2JPC ) 10.7), 133.56
(C6′, C6H4, 3JPC ) 14.4), 133.79 (d, C5′, C6H4, 4JPC ) 2.9), 134.47
(d, Cp, PPh2, 4JPC ) 2.9), 134.81 (d, C2′, C6H4, 1JPC ) 126.9), 138.08
1JPC ) 105.5), 140.54 (d, C6′, C6H4, JPC ) 18.9), 152.45 (d, C1,
3
2
2
2
NPh, JPC ) 2.9), 178.80 (d, C1′, C6H4, JPPh C ) 114.6, JPPh C
)
3
2
2
2
(d, C3, NAr, JPC ) 1.6), 142.32 (d, C1, NAr, JPC ) 2.5), 149.19
21.7).
2
(d, C1, C6H4, JPC ) 15.6).
1c. Greener Transmetalation Reactions with Organogold(I)
Derivatives 15 and 16 to Afford the Cycloaurated Gold(III)
Compounds 13 and 14. 15 (0.100 g, 0.123 mmol) was dissolved
in Me2CO (20 mL) at room temperature. This solution was reacted
with K[AuCl4] (0.036 g, 0.095 mmol) and stirred during 20 min at
the same temperature. The solvent was subsequently evaporated
to a small volume (∼1 mL), and Et2O (15 mL) added to give a
yellow solid, which was identified as a (1:1) mixture of 13 and
ClAuPPh3 This yellow solid was subjected to low-temperature (0
°C) flash chromatography (jacketed column, silica, CH2Cl2 as
eluent). The first colorless band is the gold(I) complex, followed
by a deep yellow band containing complex 13 exclusively.
Evaporation of the solvent to dryness from the yellow fraction and
Et2O addition gave 13 as a yellow solid. Yield: 40%. Complex 14
can be obtained from 16 by aryl transmetalation following a
synthetic procedure strictly analogous to that described for 13. Thus,
16 (0.100 g, 0.12 mmol) was reacted with K[AuCl4] (0.035 g, 0.090
mmol) in acetone at 25 °C to give analytically pure 14 after column
purification. Yield: 50%. Note: the moderate yields are due to the
small amounts of mixture (0.12 mmol) subjected to flash chroma-
tography.
[Au{C6H4(PPh2dN(C6H5))-2}(PPh3)], 15. The lithium deriva-
tive 919 was generated by reaction of 4 (0.600 g, 1.70 mmol) with
1.8 M PhLi (1.3 mL, 2.38 mmol) in 10 mL of dry Et2O during 30
min at room temperature. This solution was subsequently cooled
at -78 °C, and [AuCl(PPh3)] was added (0.646 g, 1.31 mmol).
The reaction mixture was stirred at -78 °C during 1 h and a further
2 h at room temperature. After complete removal of the Et2O, the
residue was extracted with CH2Cl2. The solvent was completely
removed under vacuum to afford a crude material that can be
crystallized from a CH2Cl2/n-hexane mixture (15 mL) to yield 15
as a microcrystalline white solid. The amount of crystallization
solvent was inferred from the 1H NMR spectrum (by integration).
Yield: 0.763 g, 0.94 mmol, 71.0%. Anal. Calcd for [C42H34-
AuNP2]‚0.75CH2Cl2 (875.34): C, 58.65; H, 4.09; N, 1.60. Found:
C, 59.20; H, 4.61; N, 1.92. MS(MALDI+) [m/z, (%)]: 812 [M]+.
31P{1H} NMR (CDCl3): δ 8.8 (NPPh2), 42.2 (Au-PPh3). 1H NMR
3
(CDCl3): δ 6.57 (t, 1H, Hp, NPh, JHH ) 7.2), 6.91 (d, 2H, Ho,
NPh, 3JHH ) 8.1), 6.97 (t, 2H, Hm, NPh), 7.13 (tdd, 1H, H4, C6H4,
4JPH ) 3.7, 4JHH ) 1.2, 3JHH ) 7.5), 7.21-7.26 (m, 4H, Hm, PPh2),
7.33-7.38 (m, 9H, Hm + Hp, AuPPh3), 7.40-7.54 (m, 10H, H3 +
H5 + Hp(PPh2) + Ho(AuPPh3)), 7.75-7.80 (m, 4H, Ho, PPh2), 7.83
1d. Synthesis of [Au{κ2-C,N-C6H4(PPh2dN(C6H4Me))-2}-
(CD3CN)2](BF4)2 26 and in Situ NMR Characterization. To a
solution of 13 (0.012 g, 0.02 mmol) in CD3CN (0.5 mL) under Ar
was added 0.04 mmol (0.011 g) of AgBF4. The resulting suspension
was stirred for 20 min with exclusion of light at 25 °C, then filtered,
and the resulting reddish solution was transferred to an NMR tube.
The NMR spectra of the sample were immediately measured. See
drawing of the molecule that includes the numbers for H atoms in
the Supporting Information. 31P{1H} NMR (CD3CN): δ 66.9 [13:
3
(d, 1H, H6, C6H4, JHH ) 7.8). 13C{1H} NMR (CDCl3): δ 116.04
(Cp, NPh), 123.50 (d, Co, NPh, 3JPC ) 18.1), 124.80 (d, C4, C6H4,
3
3JPC ) 13.1), 127.97 (d, Cm, PPh2, JPC ) 11.7), 128.32 (d, Cm,
4
3
NPh, JPC ) 1.6), 128.72 (d, Cm, PPh3, JPC ) 10.8), 130.59 (d,
Cp, PPh2, 4JPC ) 2.6), 130.77 (d, Cp, PPh3, 4JPC ) 2.2), 130.97 (d,
Ci, PPh2, 1JPC ) 57.4), 133.02 (d, Co, PPh2, 2JPC ) 8.8), 133.69 (d,
1
2
Ci, PPh3, JPC ) 99.8), 134.47 (d, Co, PPh3, JPC ) 13.9), 140.66
(d, C6, C6H4, 3JPC ) 19.0), 152.73 (d, Ci, NPh, 2JPC ) 2.7), 179.31
(d, C1, C6H4, 2JPC ) 21.7). Signals due to C2, C3, and C5 were not
observed.
1
31P{1H} NMR (CD3CN) δ 65.5]. H NMR (CD3CN): δ 7.13-
7.31 (m, 6H, 5H (NPh) + H3 (C6H4)), 7.51 (dd, 1H, H4, C6H4,
[Au{C6H4(PPh2dN(C6H4Me))-2}(PPh3)], 16. 16 was obtained
following the same experimental procedure as that described for
15 above. 5 (0.338 g, 0.91 mmol) was reacted with LiPh (0.71
mL, 1.8 M, 1.29 mmol) for 30 min at 25 °C in Et2O (15 mL) to
afford 10, which was subsequently reacted in situ. The suspension
of 10 (0.91 mmol) in Et2O was reacted with ClAuPPh3 (0.35 g,
0.71 mmol) at -78 °C for 1 h. The stirring was maintained during
2 h while the temperature rose slowly to 25 °C. The solvent was
removed under vacuum, and the yellow residue obtained was
extracted with two portions of CH2Cl2 (2 × 10 mL). The mixture
was filtered through Celite, and the resulting clear solution
evaporated to dryness. Crystallization of the residue from CH2Cl2/
Et2O gave 16‚0.5CH2Cl2 as yellow crystals. Yield: 0.35 g (60.6%).
Anal. Calcd for [C43H36AuNP2]‚0.5CH2Cl2 (825.7): C, 59.51; H,
4.18; N, 1.61. Found: C, 59.42; H, 4.90; N, 1.88. MS (MALDI +)
4
3JHH ) 7.4, JPH ) 4.5), 7.59 (m, 1H, H5, C6H4), 7.65-7.70 (m,
4H, Hm, PPh2), 7.83-7.88 (m, 6H, Hp+Ho, PPh2), 8.16 (dd, 1H,
4
3
H6, C6H4, JPH ) 2.4, JHH ) 8.5).
2. Catalytic Studies. All catalytic reactions were performed at
25 °C in a Kontex tube using distilled and degassed solvents and
under an argon atmosphere. Procedure for the addition of MVK
(18) to 2-methylfuran (17): 2 mmol of 17, 2 mmol of 18, 0.02
mmol of the corresponding gold complex, and 0.044 mmol (or 0.022
mmol) of silver salt (when necessary) were mixed in 5 mL of
CH3CN, and this mixture was stirred for a period of 6 or 18 h
(Table 1). After the reaction time was completed, the resulting
mixture was filtered through a short silica gel column using 20
mL of a Et2O/n-hexane (3:1) mixture as eluent. The yellow solution
was evaporated to dryness under vacuum, affording pure 19.
Procedure for the addition of MVK (18) to electron-rich arenes
(22 or 24): 2 mmol of 22 (24), 2 mmol of 18, 0.03 mmol of the
corresponding gold complex (0.02 mmol in the case of AuCl3),
and 0.066 mmol of silver salt (when necessary) were mixed in 5
mL of CH3CN, and this mixture was stirred for 24 h (Table 2).
After the reaction time, the resulting mixture was filtered through
a short silica gel column using 20 mL of a Et2O/n-hexane (3:1)
[m/z]: 826 [M]+. 31P{1H} NMR (CDCl3): δ 9.0 (d, NPPh2, 4JPP
)
1
8.3), 42.1 (d, AuPPh3). H NMR (CDCl3): δ 1.94 (s, 3H, Me),
3
3
6.30 (d, 1H, H4, NPh, JHH ) 7.4), 6.41 (d, 1H, H6, NPh, JHH
)
3
7.9), 6.51 (s, 1H, H2, NPh), 6.69 (t, 1H, H5, NPh, JHH ) 7.7),
4
4
3
7.03 (tdd, 1H, H4′, C6H4, JPH ) 3.6, JHH ) 1.6, J) 7.4), 7.13
(m, 4H, Hm, PPh2), 7.19 (m, 6H, Hm, PPh3), 7.21-7.30 (m, 10H,
H5′ (C6H4) + Hp + Ho (PPh3)), 7.35 (m, 2H, Hp, PPh2), 7.44 (m,

Organogold(III) Iminophosphorane Complexes
Organometallics, Vol. 26, No. 18, 2007 4611
mixture as eluent. The yellow solution was evaporated to dryness
under vacuum, affording pure 23 (25).
Supporting Information Available: Detailed NMR spectra of
13 and 26 in CD3CN as well as spectra of catalytic reactions
followed by NMR. Drawings of the new compounds including
numbers for H atoms. This material is available free of charge via
the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.
Acknowledgment. We thank the Spanish Ministry of
Education and Science (CTQ2005-01037) and Brooklyn College
(CUNY) for financial support. D.A. thanks the Government of
Arago´n (DGA) for a Ph.D. grant.
OM700453S