Rapid and mild synthesis of Au–NHC complexes in a simple two-phase flow reactor

Abstract

We describe a simple two-phase flow reactor which allows for the efficient and rapid synthesis of several Au(I)-NHC complexes under mild conditions, with minimal workup, and avoiding common problems with...

Unraveling ligand exchange reactions in linear neutral Au(i) and Cu(i) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes for biological applications

“…22 Modern synthetic approaches for [M(NHC)X] have been developed allowing a wide diversity of applications for these versatile complexes. 23,24 These soft Pearson's acids, especially Au(I) complexes, bind to cysteine or selenocysteine through a ligand exchange reaction with essential enzymes, such as thioredoxin, 25 trypanothione, 26 glutathione reductases, 27 cysteine protease, 21 and Cys-rich proteins such as zinc-fingers. 28,29 However, their unselective binding to biomolecules limits their application in vivo despite their excellent results in vitro.…”