Mechanism of Reductive Elimination of Methyl Iodide from a Novel Gold(III)−Monomethyl Complex

Oxidation of (Idipp)AuMe (Idipp = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) with I 2 gives a monomethyl Au(III) complex, (Idipp)AuI 2 Me, which decomposes cleanly to MeI and (Idipp)AuI. Kinetics experiments show that this transformation occurs primarily via three-coordinate, cationic [(Idipp)AuIMe] +, which undergoes intramolecular reductive elimination rather than nucleophilic attack by external I − .