A Gold Catalyst for Carbene‐Transfer Reactions from Ethyl Diazoacetate

Approaching El Dorado: A gold catalyst has been discovered that transfers a carbene unit from ethyl diazoacetate to aromatic substrates (see scheme) as well as olefins, amines, and alcohols. The insertion of carbene units into the CH bonds of the aromatic ring of benzene, toluene, and styrene is a novel reaction. R=H, CH3, CHCH2; IPr=1,3-bis(diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene. Supporting information for this article (general experimental procedures and product characterization data) is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2002/2005/z501056_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.