A new Catalysis Science & Technology communication describing the synthesis of furans and pyrroles via alkyne hydration using a gold catalyst.
Nolan et al. found that a gold complex (when activated with a Bronsted acid) was a convinient pre-catalyst for the synthesis of heterocycles with furans being prepared in high yields under mild conditions than with other gold(I) catalysts.
Heterocycles are important motifs in pharmaceutical and agrochemical compounds. Numerous strategies have been employed for synthesising them. In recent years the use of gold catalysts has increased due to gold complexes being powerful catalytic tools.
Read more about this fascinating topic here.
Gold(I)-catalyzed synthesis of furans and pyrroles via alkyne hydration
Pierrick Nun, Stephanie Dupuy, Sylvian Gaillard, Albert Poater, Luigi Cavallo, Steven P. Nolan
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/c0cy00055h
