In recent years, single-molecule and single-particle fluorescence microscopy has emerged as a tool to investigate chemical systems. After an initial lag of over a decade with respect to biophysical studies, this powerful imaging technique is now revealing mechanisms of 'classical' organic reactions, spatial distribution of chemical reactivity on surfaces and the phase of active catalysts. The recent advance into commercial imaging systems obviates the need for home-built laser systems and thus opens this technique to traditionally trained synthetic chemists. We discuss the requisite photophysical and chemical properties of fluorescent reporters and highlight the main challenges in applying single-molecule techniques to chemical questions. The goal of this Perspective is to provide a snapshot of an emerging multidisciplinary field and to encourage broader use of this young experimental approach that aids the observation of chemical reactions as depicted in many textbooks: molecule by molecule.

A new strategy for gold and palladium dual-catalytic reactivity and turnover, called catalyzed catalysis, enhanced the synthetic usefulness of vinylgold intermediates by providing dual-catalytic carbon-carbon cross-coupling as an alternative to protodemetalation. This protocol enabled the synthesis of substituted butenolides and isocoumarins from allyl esters. Kinetic and spectroscopic experiments support a mechanism in which the Lewis acidic gold complex catalyzes both an initial rearrangement step and a subsequent Lewis basic palladium oxidative-addition step.

The sensitivity provided by fluorescence microscopy enabled the observation of surface intermediates in the synthesis of soluble organozinc reagents by direct insertion of alkyl iodides to commercial zinc powder. Five hypotheses were examined for the mechanistic role of lithium chloride in enabling this direct insertion. The data are consistent with lithium chloride solubilizing organozinc reagents from the surface of the zinc after oxidative addition.

Using two transition metals to simultaneously catalyze a reaction can offer distinct opportunities for reactivity and selectivity when compared to using single-metal catalyst systems. Creating dual transition metal catalytic systems is complicated, however, by challenges in predicting compatible reactivities and designing turnover pathways for both metals. In this Account, we describe our development of dual-metal catalysis reactions involving gold and a second transition metal. The unique rearrangement intermediates accessible through gold-only catalysis, which exploits the soft Lewis acidity of Au(I), make gold an attractive partner for dual-metal catalysis reactions. Because of the complexity of achieving simultaneous turnover of two catalysts and predicting compatibilities, our approach has been to first gain a fundamental understanding of the reactivity of the two metals with each other, both in stoichiometric and monocatalyzed reactions. To this end, we have investigated the combined reactivity of organogold compounds with palladium, nickel, and rhodium. We narrate the intricacies of turning over two catalysts simultaneously and thereby illuminate the valuable role of fundamental studies in identifying the optimal conditions to promote desirable two-metal reactivity and compatibility. Transmetalation, redox reactivity, and new mechanisms for dual-metal catalytic turnover were probed from this standpoint. We have applied the knowledge gained through these studies to the development of reactions that are dual-catalyzed by gold and palladium, as well as nickel- and rhodium-catalyzed reactions of organogold compounds. More broadly, these new reactions expand the reactivity available to catalytic organogold intermediates via trapping and functionalization reactions with other transition metals. Our investigations reveal strategies useful for designing dual-metal reactions with gold. First, the versatility of gold as a transmetalation partner suggests that many potential methods may exist to intercept catalytic organogold intermediates with a second transition metal. Second, ligands on both metals should be selected carefully in order to prevent catalyst deactivation. Finally, reactions must be designed such that any oxidative steps involving the second metal outcompete undesired reactions with redox-active organogold compounds. We believe that the application of these principles will allow for the design of a diverse set of dual-catalyzed functionalizations befitting the wide variety of gold-catalyzed transformations already established.

The relative kinetic basicities of a series of differentially substituted and hybridized neutral organogold compounds were examined through competitive protodeauration experiments and were found to span 2.2 orders of magnitude. The effect of electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents on the rate of protodeauration of alkenylgold and arylgold compounds was explored. An acid counterion effect indicated the presence of a gold-mediated substrate preequilibrium before protodemetalation, and hybridization effects and a Hammett correlation with F þ = -0.41 indicated the involvement of the C-C π system in the protodeauration of vinylgold, alkynylgold, and arylgold complexes.