A general access to organogold() complexes by oxidative addition of diazonium salts

At room temperature under mild photochemical conditions, namely irradiation with a simple blue light LED, gold( i ) chloro complexes of both phosphane and carbene ligands in combination with aryldiazonium salts afford arylgold( iii ) complexes. With chelating P,N-ligands cationic six- or five-membered chelate complexes were isolated in the form of salts with weakly coordinating counter anions that were brought in from the diazonium salt. With monodentate P ligands or N-heterocyclic carbene ligands and diazonium chlorides neutral arylgold( iii ) dichloro complexes were obtained. The coordination geometry was determined by X-ray crystal structure analyses of representative compounds, a cis arrangement of the aryl and the phosphane ligand at the square planar gold( iii ) center is observed. The light-induced reaction of aryldiazonium salts with gold( i ) chloride complexes provides an easy access to cationic or neutral arylgold( iii ) complexes, even a bromoaryl group can be selectively installed at gold( iii ), and either chelating or monodentate ligands can be used.