Gold and Rhodium Transmetalation: Mechanistic Insights and Dual-Metal Reactivity

A transmetalation reaction between rhodium(III) and sp 2 - and sp 3 -hybridized organogold(I) compounds proceeds rapidly at ambient temperature (15 min to 6 h). Mechanistic experiments demonstrate that ligand dissociation on rhodium(III) precedes transmetalation; synthetic applications of the gold/rhodium transmetalation are highlighted by linking rhodium-mediated C−H activation, conjugate addition, and reductive elimination to transmetalation from organogold compounds.