Abstract
Mesityl gold(I) carbenes lacking heteroatom stabilization or shielding ancillary ligands have been generated and spectroscopically characterized from chloro(mesityl)methylgold(I) carbenoids bearing JohnPhos-type ligands by chloride abstraction with GaCl(3) . The aryl carbenes react with PPh(3) and alkenes to give stable phosphonium ylides and cyclopropanes, respectively. Oxidation with pyridine N-oxide and intermolecular C-H insertion to cyclohexane have also been observed. In the absence of nucleophiles, a bimolecular reaction, similar to that observed for other metal carbenes, leads to a symmetrical alkene.