Ascorbic Acid as an Aryl Radical Inducer in the Gold-Mediated Arylation of Indoles with Aryldiazonium Chlorides.

In recent years interest in the development of protocols that facilitate the oxidative addition of gold to access mild cross-coupling processes mediated by this metal has increased. In this context, we report herein that ascorbic acid, a natural and readily accessible antioxidant, can be used to accelerate the oxidative addition of aryldiazonium chlorides onto AuI . The aryl-AuIII species generated in this way, has been used to prepare 3-arylindoles in a one-pot protocol starting from anilines and para-, meta-, and ortho- substituted aryldiazonium chlorides. The mechanism underlying the oxidative addition has been examined in detail based on EPR analyses, cyclic voltammetry, and DFT calculations. Interestingly, we have found that in this protocol, the chloride atom induces the AuII /AuIII oxidation step.

Arenediazonium salts as electrophiles for the oxidative addition of gold(i).

Arenediazonium salts generated in situ from anilines have been found for the first time to efficiently oxidize [AuCl(L)] (L = SMe2, PPh3) complexes in DMSO as a solvent, under thermal conditions. The structure of the [AuArCl2(L)] complexes formed has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction analyses. These complexes have been used as intermediates, in a one pot cross-coupling reaction of anilines with silver acetylides.