A Neutral Gold(III)–Boron Transmetalation

The occurrence of direct transmetalation between gold­(III) and boron species during gold-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions has recently become the subject of intense discussion. In this work, we investigate the transmetalation reaction between discrete, stable gold­(III) complexes and boron reagents. Interestingly, electron-rich arylboronic acids remain unreactive under neutral conditions, whereas electron-deficient species undergo transmetalation in a highly efficient manner.