Thermally Stable Gold(III) Alkene and Alkyne Complexes: Synthesis, Structures, and Assessment of the trans‐Influence on Gold–Ligand Bond Enthalpies

Abstract

The reaction of [C^C)Au(OEt2 )2 ]+ with 1,5-cyclooctadiene or norbornadiene affords the corresponding olefin complexes [(C^C)Au(COD)]SbF6 and [(C^C)Au(NBD)]SbF6 , which are thermally stable in solution and the solid state (C^C=4,4'-di-tert-butylbiphenyl-2,2'-diyl). The crystal structures of these complexes have been determined. By contrast, dienones such as dibenzylideneacetone are O- rather than C=C-bonded. The reactions of (C^C)Au(OAcF )(L) (L=PMe3 or CNxyl) with B(C6 F5 )3 in the presence of bis(1-adamantyl)acetylene give the mixed-ligand alkyne complexes [(C^C)Au(AdC≡CAd)(L)]+ , the first complexes of their type in gold chemistry. In the presence of an excess of acetylene these compounds are thermally stable in solution and as solids. The bonding of n- and π-donor ligands to AuIII fragments and the effect of the trans influence exerted by N- and C-donors was explored with the aid of DFT calculations. Results show that the Au-L bond enthalpies trans to anionic C are 35-60 % of the enthalpies trans to N, with strong π-acceptors being particularly affected. In comparison with [Me2 Au]+ , the [(C^C)Au]+ fragment is more polar and in bond enthalpy terms resembles Me2 Pt.