Detailed structural and spectroscopic elucidation of ferrocenium coupled N-heterocyclic carbene gold(I) complexes

Dalton Trans. 2022 Jan 25;51(4):1533-1541. doi: 10.1039/d1dt03174k.

Abstract

Unambiguous assignment of redox sites on ferrocene coupled N-heterocyclic carbene gold(I) complexes [(Fc-NHC)2Au(I)]+ is critical to gain a greater mechanistic understanding of their activity in a cellular environment. Such information can be garnered with isolation and detailed characterization of the oxidized version of [(Fc-NHC)2Au(I)]+. Herein we disclose a study that unambiguously illustrates redox events pertaining to [(Fc-NHC)2Au(I)]+ that stem exclusively from ferrocene sites. This work also describes novel synthetic methodologies for isolating ferrocenium coupled N-heterocyclic carbene gold(I) complexes.