Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.129, No.14, 4160-4160, 2007
Rearrangement of alkynyl sulfoxides catalyzed by gold(I) complexes
A series of gold(I)-catalyzed rearrangement reactions of alkynyl sulfoxides are reported. Homopropargylsulfoxides are rearranged to benzothiepinones or benzothiopines, while alpha-thioenones are formed in the reaction of propargylsulfoxides. The proposed mechanism proceeds via an alpha-carbonyl gold-carbenoid intermediate formed through gold-promoted oxygen atom transfer from the sulfoxide to the alkyne.