Homogeneous carboamination, carboalkoxylation and carbolactonization of terminal alkenes are realized via oxidative gold catalysis, providing expedient access to various substituted N- or O-heterocycles. Deuterium-labeling studies established the anti nature of the alkene functionalization and the indispensible role of Au(I)/Au(III) catalysis. This study constitutes the first example of catalytically converting C(sp(3))-Au bonds into C(sp(3))--C(sp(2)) bonds in a cross-coupling manner and opens new opportunities to study gold alkene catalysis where alkylgold intermediates can be readily functionalized intermolecularly.

It is currently a critical period for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the medical waste disposal could be an important way to control the source of infection, standardization, and strict implementation of the management of COVID-19 related medical waste should be with careful consideration to reduce the risk of epidemic within hospitals. This study illustrates the practice of medical waste disposal responding to the 2019-2020 novel coronavirus pandemic.

Oxidizing gold? A gold(I)/gold(III) catalytic cycle is essential for the first oxidative cross-coupling reaction in gold catalysis. By using Selectfluor for gold(I) oxidation, this chemistry reveals the synthetic potential of incorporating gold(I)/gold(III) catalytic cycles into contemporary gold chemistry and promises a new area of gold research by merging powerful gold catalysis and oxidative metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions.

An expedient and reliable method for accessing reactive alpha-oxo gold carbenes via gold-catalyzed intermolecular oxidation of terminal alkynes has been developed. Significantly, this method offers a safe and economical alternative to the strategies based on diazo substrates. Its synthetic potential is demonstrated by expedient preparation of dihydrofuran-3-ones containing a broad range of functional groups.

Platinum nanothorn assemblies with sharp tips and edges were prepared, which exhibit high surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity and yield an enhancement factor as high as 2000 for adsorbed pyridine.