7-Aryl-1,3,5-cycloheptatrienes react intermolecularly with methylenecyclopropanes in a triple gold(I)-catalyzed reaction to form cyclopentenes. The same formal (4+1) cycloaddition occurs with cyclobutenes. Other precursors of gold(I) carbenes can also be used as the C1 component of the cycloaddition.

A facile and inexpensive copper-catalyzed method was developed for the synthesis of 2-substituted benzo[b]furans and indoles.

The potential of mercury catalysis has been extended to the arena of enolate umpolung reactions for the first time by the generation of enolonium species via Hg(OTf) 2 -catalyzed N-oxide addition to alkynes. The enolonium species formed can undergo intramolecular nucleophilic attack by hydroxyl or amino groups, leading to the synthesis of various coumaran-3-ones and indolin-3-ones.

The polycyclisation of polyenynes catalyzed by gold(i) has been extended for the first time to the simultaneous formation of up to four carbon-carbon bonds, leading to steroid-like molecules with high stereoselectivity in a single step with low catalyst loadings. In addition to terminal alkynes, bromoalkynes can also be used as initiators of polyene cyclisations, giving rise to synthetically useful cyclic bromoalkenes.