Gold-Catalyzed Oxidative Coupling of Arylsilanes and Arenes: Origin of Selectivity and Improved Precatalyst

The mechanism of gold-catalyzed coupling of arenes with aryltrimethylsilanes has been investigated, employing an improved precatalyst (thtAuBr₃) to facilitate kinetic analysis. In combination with linear free-energy relationships, kinetic isotope effects, and stoichiometric experiments, the data support a mechanism involving an Au­(I)/Au­(III) redox cycle in which sequential electrophilic aromatic substitution of the arylsilane and the arene by Au­(III) precedes product-forming reductive elimination and subsequent cycle-closing reoxidation of the metal. Despite the fundamental mechanistic similarities between the two auration events, high selectivity is observed for heterocoupling (C–Si then C–H auration) over homocoupling of either the arylsilane or the arene (C–Si then C–Si, or C–H then C–H auration); this chemoselectivity originates from differences in the product-determining elementary steps of each electrophilic substitution. The turnover-limiting step of the reaction involves associative substitution en route to an arene π-complex. The ramifications of this insight for implementation of the methodology are discussed.