Coupling reactions initiated by oxidative addition to Au(I) complexes

Gold-catalyzed reaction initiated by 7r-activation of unsaturated bonds is well-established, where the oxidation state of the gold complex is unchanged throughout the catalytic cycle. Recently, the coupling reactions involving Au(I)/Au(III) catalytic cycle have been developed. The key to success is the kinetic or thermodynamic stabilization of Au(III) species. This mini-review focuses on the generation of Au(III) species by direct oxidative addition of carbon-halogen bond to Au (I) and their application to coupling reactions. © 2021 Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry. All rights reserved.