Chelating-Group-Assisted C(sp2)–O Reductive Elimination at the Gold(III) Center

Herein, we demonstrate chelating-group-assisted C(sp2)-O reductive elimination at gold(III) centers. Detailed stoichiometric studies highlighted the importance of a chelating group for achieving successful C-O reductive elimination, paving the way for the development of a catalytic version. The mechanistic investigations, including control experiments, 31P NMR, mass spectrometry, and density functional theory (DFT) studies, suggested that the synergistic effect of the ligand and chelating group creates a highly coordinated environment around the Au(III) center to facilitate the C(sp2)-O bond-forming reaction.