Chiral AuI‐ and AuIII‐Isothiourea Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization and Application

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

During an investigation into the potential union of Lewis basic isothiourea organocatalysis and gold catalysis, the formation of gold‐isothiourea complexes was observed. These novel gold complexes were formed in high yield and were found to be air‐ and moisture stable. A series of neutral and cationic chiral gold(I) and gold(III) complexes bearing enantiopure isothiourea ligands was therefore synthesized and fully characterized. The steric and electronic properties of the isothiourea ligands was assessed through calculation of their percent buried volume and the synthesis and analysis of novel iridium(I)‐isothiourea carbonyl complexes. The novel gold(I)‐ and gold(III)‐isothiourea complexes have been applied in preliminary catalytic and biological studies, and display promising preliminary levels of catalytic activity and potency towards cancerous cell lines and clinically relevant enzymes.
A golden touch: An investigation into the union of isothiourea organocatalysis and gold catalysis led to the discovery of bench‐stable gold‐isothiourea complexes. A series of neutral and cationic chiral gold(I) and gold(III) complexes bearing enantiopure isothiourea ligands have been synthesized, with the steric and electronic properties of the isothiourea ligands also assessed. The novel complexes have also been applied in preliminary catalytic and biological studies.