Gold complexes were prepared and investigated as catalysts for the oxidative esterification of aldehydes. Stabilisation by pyridine ligands gave good conversions and the in situ extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) study of the reactions indicated that the reaction mixtures contained only mononuclear gold species. Thus, this is the first proof for a homogeneous gold-catalysed oxidation reaction; the presence of nanoparticles could be excluded experimentally.

Gold and Palladium Combined for Cross-Coupling. -Organogold(I) complexes undergo cross-coupling with aryl iodides (and bromides) in the presence of catalytic amounts of a palladium complex. The gold furanone complexes (I) exhibit an unprecedented thermal stability which allows reactions at elevated temperature. The gold can be recovered in nearly quantitative yield as iodo(triphenylphosphine)gold complex.-(HASHMI*, A. S. K.; LOTHSCHUETZ, C.; DOEPP, R.; RUDOLPH, M.; RAMAMURTHI, T. D.; ROMINGER, F.; Angew.

Substrates containing an aryl iodide and an allenoate ester undergo gold‐induced cycloisomerization to vinylgold(I) species (III) which are further converted into tricyclic product (IV) by intramolecular palladium‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions.

DOEPP, R.; LOTHSCHUETZ, C.; RUDOLPH, M.; RIEDEL, D.; ROMINGER, F.; Adv. Synth. Catal.