title: The golden gate to catalysis.
abstract: The use of gold in homogeneous catalysis is a relatively new field of transition metal catalysis, but has already witnessed spectacular achievements. By virtue of their unique ability to activate carbon-carbon double and triple bonds as soft, carbophilic Lewis acids, gold salts are highly efficient catalysts for the formation of C-C, C-O, C-N, and C-S bonds. Moreover, they are capable of activating C-H bonds of aromatic and other substrates, opening unprecedented pathways for their functionalisation. By using chiral allenes as substrates, gold catalysts can even be applied in stereoselective target-oriented synthesis.
authors.affiliation: ETH Zürich, Laboratorium für Organische Chemie, ETH-Hönggerberg, CH-8093, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoffmann-Röder
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Krause