Imidazopyridine substituted cyclic selenonium(iv) salts as chalcogen bond catalysts

Abstract

We present imidazopyridine-substituted dicationic selenonium(IV) salts as a new class of highly tuneable organoselenium catalysts. These monodentate chalcogen bond donors were prepared through a mild oxidation–cyclization protocol, incorporating cationic heterocycles to enhance the σ-hole on selenium. The selenonium salts demonstrate high catalytic activities in Povarov cyclizations and in activating gold complexes, highlighting their potential in advanced catalytic applications.