The ability of platinum and gold catalysts to effect powerful atom-economic transformations has led to a marked increase in their utilization. The quite remarkable correlation of their catalytic behavior with the available structural data, coordination chemistry, and organometallic reactivity patterns, including relativistic effects, allows the underlying principles of catalytic carbophilic activation by π acids to be formulated. The spectrum of reactivity extends beyond their utility as catalytic and benign alternatives to conventional stoichiometric π acids. The resulting reactivity profile allows this entire field of catalysis to be rationalized, and brings together the apparently disparate electrophilic metal carbene and nonclassical carbocation explanations. The advances in coupling, cycloisomerization, and structural reorganization—from the design of new transformations to the improvement to known reactions—are highlighted in this Review. The application of platinum- and gold-catalyzed transformations in natural product synthesis is also discussed.

Catalytic Carbophilic Activation: Catalysis by Platinum and Gold π Acids

Gold salts and complexes have emerged in the past few years as the most powerful catalysts for electrophilic activation of alkynes toward a variety of nucleophiles under homogeneous conditions. In a simplified form, nucleophilic attack on the [AuL]-activated alkyne proceeds via π complexes 1 to give trans-alkenyl gold complexes of type 2 as intermediates (Scheme 1). This type of coordination is also a common theme in gold-catalyzed cycloisomerizations of enynes, in which the alkene function acts as the nucleophile. In the reaction of enynes with complexes of other transition metals, an Alder-ene cycloisomerization can take place by simultaneous coordination of the alkyne and the alkene to the metal followed by an oxidative cyclometalation. In contrast, this process does not occur for gold(I) since oxidative addition processes are not facile for this metal. 6 In addition, the [AuL] fragment, which is isolobal to H and HgL, adopts a linear coordination and binds to either the alkene or the alkyne. Thus, cycloisomerizations of enynes catalyzed by gold proceed by an initial coordination of the metal to the alkyne, and as illustrated in Scheme 2, the resulting complex 3 reacts with the alkene by either the 5-exo-dig or 6-endo-dig pathway to form the exoor endocyclopropyl gold carbene 4 or 5, respectively, as has been established with other electrophilic transition-metal complexes or halides MXn as catalysts. The proposed involvement of cyclopropyl metal carbenes of type 4 in the electrophilic activation of enynes by transition metals was first substantiated in reactions catalyzed by Pd(II), in which the initially formed cyclopropyl palladium carbenes undergo [4 + 2] cycloaddition with the double bond of the conjugate enyne. Strong evidence for the existence of cyclopropyl metal carbenes as intermediates was also obtained in the reaction of enynes bearing additional double bonds at the alkenyl chain with Ru(II) and Pt(II) catalysts. In these reactions, the cyclopropyl metal carbenes are trapped intramolecularly by the terminal alkene to give tetracycles containing two cyclopropanes. Gold(I) complexes usually surpass the reactivity shown by Pt(II) and other electrophilic metal salts and complexes for the activation of enynes. They are highly reactive yet uniquely selective Lewis acids that have a high affinity for π bonds. This high π-acidity is linked to relativistic effects, which reach a maximum in the periodic table with gold. However, on occasion, the stronger Lewis acidity of gold complexes can be detrimental in terms of selectivity and because of their low tolerance to certain functional groups. In these instances, the less-strongly Lewis acidic Pt(II) complexes could be the catalysts of choice. * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: aechavarren@ iciq.es. † Additional affiliation: Departamento de Quı́mica Orgánica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain. Scheme 1 Chem. Rev. 2008, 108, 3326–3350 3326

Gold-catalyzed cycloisomerizations of enynes: a mechanistic perspective.

Thanks to its unusual stability, metallic gold has been used for thousands of years in jewelry, currency, chinaware, and so forth. However, gold had not become the chemists’ “precious metal” until very recently. In the past few years, reports on gold-catalyzed organic transformations have increased substantially. Thanks to gold-based catalysts, various organic transformations have been accessible under facile conditions with both high yields and chemoselectivity.

Gold-catalyzed organic transformations.

1.1. General Reactivity of Alkyne-Gold(I) Complexes
For centuries, gold had been considered a precious, purely decorative inert metal. It was not until 1986 that Ito and Hayashi described the first application of gold(I) in homogeneous catalysis.1 More than one decade later, the first examples of gold(I) activation of alkynes were reported by Teles2 and Tanaka,3 revealing the potential of gold(I) in organic synthesis. Now, gold(I) complexes are the most effective catalysts for the electrophilic activation of alkynes under homogeneous conditions, and a broad range of versatile synthetic tools have been developed for the construction of carbon–carbon or carbon–heteroatom bonds.

Gold(I) complexes selectively activate π-bonds of alkynes in complex molecular settings,4−10 which has been attributed to relativistic effects.11−13 In general, no other electrophilic late transition metal shows the breadth of synthetic applications of homogeneous gold(I) catalysts, although in occasions less Lewis acidic Pt(II) or Ag(I) complexes can be used as an alternative,9,10,14,15 particularly in the context of the activation of alkenes.16,17 Highly electrophilic Ga(III)18−22 and In(III)23,24 salts can also be used as catalysts, although often higher catalyst loadings are required.

In general, the nucleophilic Markovnikov attack to η2-[AuL]+-activated alkynes 1 forms trans-alkenyl-gold complexes 2 as intermediates (Scheme 1).4,5a,9,10,12,25−29 This activation mode also occurs in gold-catalyzed cycloisomerizations of 1,n-enynes and in hydroarylation reactions, in which the alkene or the arene act as the nucleophile.



Scheme 1

Anti-Nucleophilic Attack to η2-[AuL]+-Activated Alkynes

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Gold(I)-Catalyzed Activation of Alkynes for the Construction of Molecular Complexity

A.L.-P. thanks CSIC for a contract under the JAE-doctor
program. Financial support by PLE2009 project from MCIINN
and Consolider-Ingenio 2010 (proyecto MULTICAT) are also
acknowledged.

Gold-catalyzed carbon-heteroatom bond-forming reactions.

Pd-catalyzed oxidative cyclizations of 1,6-enynes have found useful applications in organic synthesis, but such reactions with Au and Pt catalysis remain largely unexplored. Goldcatalyzed cycloisomerizations of 1,5and 1,6-enynes provide uncommon and useful carbocyclic frameworks. In the presence of organic oxidants, most enynes fail to produce oxidative cyclization products because oxidations of hypothetical gold–carbenoid intermediates are difficult. 5] Herein, we report two new oxidative cyclizations of 1,5-enynes via 5endo-dig and 5-exo-dig cyclizations, respectively; both reactions are implemented with Au and 8-methylquinoline Noxide. The success of such reactions relies on the prior oxidations of enyne form a-carbonyl carbenoids A and B, followed by their intramolecular cyclizations (Scheme 1). Terminal alkynes favor the oxidation at the C2 alkynyl carbon atom and aminoalkynes prefer the C1 carbon atom.

Gold‐Catalyzed Oxidative Cyclization of 1,5‐Enynes Using External Oxidants

In this present perspective, we summarise the recent progress on the use of gold, platinum, silver and copper complexes to activate common oxygen and nitrogen electrophiles.

Carbo- and heterocyclisation of oxygen- and nitrogen-containing electrophiles by platinum, gold, silver and copper species

With gold and platinum catalysts, cis-4,6-dien-1-yn-3-ols undergo cycloisomerizations that enable structural reorganization of cyclized products chemoselectively. The AuCl3-catalyzed cyclizations of 6-substituted cis-4,6-dien-1-yn-3-ols proceeded via a 6-exo-dig pathway to give allyl cations, which subsequently undergo a pinacol rearrangement to produce reorganized cyclopentenyl aldehyde products. Using chiral alcohol substrates, such cyclizations proceed with reasonable chirality transfer. In the PtCl2-catalyzed cyclization of 7,7-disubstituted cis-4,6-dien-1-yn-3-ols, we obtained exclusively either bicyclo[4.1.0]heptenones or reorganized styrene products with varied substrate structures. On the basis of the chemoselectivity/structure relationship, we propose that bicyclo[4.1.0]heptenone products result from 6-endo-dig cyclization, whereas reorganized styrene products are derived from the 5-exo-dig pathway. This proposed mechanism is supported by theoretic calculations.

The Skeletal Rearrangement of Gold- and Platinum-Catalyzed Cycloisomerization of cis-4,6-Dien-1-yn-3-ols: Pinacol Rearrangement and Formation of Bicyclo[4.1.0]heptenone and Reorganized Styrene Derivatives

We report a new metal-catalyzed 6-endo-dig cyclization of cis-4,6-dien-1-yn-3-ols, which produces substituted benzene and naphthalene derivatives with structural reorganization. In this process, we observe a 1,3-alkylidene migration via cleavage of the olefin double bond of the starting substrates. The ease and reliability of this cyclization are manifested by its compatibility with a wide array of diverse substrates and several π-alkyne activators, including PtCl2, Zn(OTf)2, AuCl, and AuCl3.

Arindam Das

Papers

Gold‐Catalyzed Oxidative Cyclization of 1,5‐Enynes Using External Oxidants

Carbo- and heterocyclisation of oxygen- and nitrogen-containing electrophiles by platinum, gold, silver and copper species

The Skeletal Rearrangement of Gold- and Platinum-Catalyzed Cycloisomerization of cis-4,6-Dien-1-yn-3-ols: Pinacol Rearrangement and Formation of Bicyclo[4.1.0]heptenone and Reorganized Styrene Derivatives

Metal-catalyzed cycloisomerization of enyne functionalities via a 1,3-alkylidene migration.

Platinum- and gold-catalyzed hydrative carbocyclization of oxo diynes for one-pot synthesis of benzopyrones and bicyclic spiro ketones.