Recent advances in chiral NHC–gold complexes for asymmetric catalysis
Abstract
Homogeneous gold catalysis has emerged as a prominent area of transition-metal catalysis; however, the development of efficient asymmetric gold catalysts remains a significant challenge. Because of the linear coordination mode of gold(I), the chiral ligand is positioned opposite the substrate-binding site, complicating the generation of a chiral environment around the metal center. On the other hand, the square planar geometry of gold(III) offers a promising alternative but its redox instability has hampered its use. In recent years, chiral N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have become a valuable alternative to more established phosphine-based chiral ligands. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the development of chiral NHC–gold complexes reported from 2019 until today. Particular emphasis is placed on ligand design principles and their impact on catalytic performance in benchmark asymmetric transformations.
Related
- Chiral Pyrazolinylidene Complexes for Asymmetric Catalysis
- Recent Advances in Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution with Heterogeneous Catalysis
- Chiral phenoxyimino-amido aluminum complexes for the asymmetric cyanation of aldehydes
- Recent Advances in Black Phosphorus and Phosphorene Nanosheets: From Interface Engineering to Energy Storage, Catalysis, and Biomedicine
- Recent advances in synthesis of nitrogen-centered chiral compounds
BibTeX
@article{mobili2026recent,
title = {{Recent advances in chiral NHC–gold complexes for asymmetric catalysis}},
author = {Riccardo Mobili and Jules Ramacciotti and Louis Fensterbank and Virginie Mouriès-Mansuy},
journal = {Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3762/bjoc.22.128},
url = {https://www.beilstein-journals.org/bjoc/articles/22/128},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Recent advances in chiral NHC–gold complexes for asymmetric catalysis
AU - Riccardo Mobili
AU - Jules Ramacciotti
AU - Louis Fensterbank
AU - Virginie Mouriès-Mansuy
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry
DO - 10.3762/bjoc.22.128
UR - https://www.beilstein-journals.org/bjoc/articles/22/128
AB - Homogeneous gold catalysis has emerged as a prominent area of transition-metal catalysis; however, the development of efficient asymmetric gold catalysts remains a significant challenge. Because of the linear coordination mode of gold(I), the chiral ligand is positioned opposite the substrate-binding site, complicating the generation of a chiral environment around the metal center. On the other hand, the square planar geometry of gold(III) offers a promising alternative but its redox instability has hampered its use. In recent years, chiral N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have become a valuable alternative to more established phosphine-based chiral ligands. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the development of chiral NHC–gold complexes reported from 2019 until today. Particular emphasis is placed on ligand design principles and their impact on catalytic performance in benchmark asymmetric transformations.
SN - 1860-5397
ER -