Expanded-ring N-heterocyclic carbenes for the stabilization of highly electrophilic gold(I) cations

Abstract

Strategies for the synthesis of highly electrophilic Au(I) complexes from either hydride- or chloride-containing precursors have been investigated by employing sterically encumbered Dipp-substituted expanded-ring NHCs (Dipp=2,6-iPr2 C6 H3 ). Thus, complexes of the type (NHC)AuH have been synthesised (for NHC=6-Dipp or 7-Dipp) and shown to feature significantly more electron-rich hydrides than those based on ancillary imidazolylidene donors. This finding is consistent with the stronger σ-donor character of these NHCs, and allows for protonation of the hydride ligand. Such chemistry leads to the loss of dihydrogen and to the trapping of the [(NHC)Au](+) fragment within a dinuclear gold cation containing a bridging hydride. Activation of the hydride ligand in (NHC)AuH by B(C6 F5 )3 , by contrast, generates a species (at low temperatures) featuring a [HB(C6 F5 )3 ](-) fragment with spectroscopic signatures similar to the "free" borate anion. Subsequent rearrangement involves BC bond cleavage and aryl transfer to the carbophilic metal centre. Under halide abstraction conditions utilizing Na[BAr(f) 4 ] (Ar(f) =C6 H3 (CF3 )2 -3,5), systems of the type [(NHC)AuCl] (NHC=6-Dipp or 7-Dipp) generate dinuclear complexes [{(NHC)Au}2 (μ-Cl)](+) that are still electrophilic enough at gold to induce aryl abstraction from the [BAr(f) 4 ](-) counterion.

Keywords: N-heterocyclic carbenes; gold; halide abstraction; hydride; weakly coordinating anions.