The Power of Gold Beyond Glitter:Homogeneous Catalysis with Au(I)-Complexes to Generate a Library of Privileged Scaffolds

Gold complexes have emerged in the last few years as excellent catalysts in numerous homogeneous transformations involving the activation of carbon-carbon multiple bonds towards the attack of a large variety of nucleophiles. This article gives a brief overview of this enticing subject and identifies some of the most important aspects of homogeneous gold catalysis in organic synthesis focusing on the research done in our laboratory.