Ligand Exchange of Tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) Phosphite: A Practical and Efficient Route to Organo Gold(I) Complexes

Tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphite (2,6-tBu₂-PhO)₃P is used as a stable, easily displaceable ancillary ligand in the preparation of organo Au(I) complexes. The phosphite gold(I) precursors are bench-stable and readily accessible. They undergo high-yielding ligand exchange with a variety of ligands such as phosphines, N-heterocyclic carbene and bidentate ligands. This ligand exchange strategy circumvents the limitations associated with traditional gold halide-based synthetic routes and is compatible with different organogold fragments. The protocol is scalable, operationally simple and broadly applicable.