Synthesis and characterization of a gold(i) bis(triazolylidene) complex featuring a large [(TpMe2)2K] anion

Abstract

In the quest of heteroleptic gold(I) complexes containing triazolylidenes (MIC) and Tp^Me2 ligands, we discovered that reaction of the MIC–Au–I complex 2 with potassium hydrotris-(3,5-dimethyl-1-pyrazolil) borate (KTp^Me2) produces an unexpected bis(triazolylidene) gold(I) complex featuring a large [(Tp^Me2)₂K] anion (3). An optimized synthesis was achieved by reacting a preformed bis(triazolylidene)Au(I) complex (2a) with two equivalents of KTp^Me2 (81%). Full characterization and preliminary catalytic results demonstrate the high performance of complex 3 in the formation of several oxazoline derivatives.