Electrochemical Gold Redox Catalysis

The high oxidation potential of Au(I)/Au(III) redox couple renders the development of gold-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions highly challenging. In the pursuit of Au(I)/Au(III) redox catalysis, various strategies, such as the use of stoichiometric oxidants, merged gold/photoredox systems, or ligand-enabled approaches, have been adopted to achieve the oxidation of Au(I) to Au(III) complexes. Recently, electrochemical anodic oxidation-based gold redox catalysis has emerged as a new technique to facilitate gold-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. This concept article provides a succinct overview of electrochemical gold redox catalysis, highlighting the challenges and potential future developments. This article showcases the concept of electrochemical gold redox catalysis for enabling gold-catalyzed cross-coupling and 1,2-difunctionalization of C-C multiple bonds. This strategy relies on the anodic oxidation of organo-gold(I) species or redox-active substrates to facilitate the formation of crucial gold(III) intermediates. Utilizing electrochemical gold redox catalysis, several intriguing reactivities have been documented. image