Pyridine- and Quinoline-Based Gold(III) Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization, and Application

Abstract

Studies on gold(III) coordination of a series of prepared polydentate pyridine and quinoline based ligands are reported. Characterization (1H, 13C, 15N NMR, and XRD) of the novel gold(III) complexes, prepared in 31–98 % yield, revealed different coordination ability of the pyridine and quinoline nitrogen atoms. Testing of catalytic activity in cyclopropanation of propargyl ester and styrene demonstrated that all the new ligated gold(III) complexes were catalytically active and outperformed KAuCl4. The superior activity of the particular Au(III)-pyridine-oxazole complexes may indicate de-coordination of the pyridine-N ligand as a crucial step for efficient generation of catalytic activity.