ChemInform Abstract: Gold-Catalyzed Cascade Oxidative Cyclization and Arylation of Allenoates

An AuI/AuIII catalytic system was found to be effective for the cascade oxidative arylation and cyclization of allenoates with arylboronic acids to give the corresponding cyclic adducts in moderate yields. This reaction system constitutes a new method for the synthesis of β-aryl-γ-butenolides under mild conditions. Based on the previous mechanistic studies, a proposed AuI/AuIII redox catalytic cycle has been outlined.