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Free keywords:
carbenes; carbocations; gold; homogeneous catalysis; reactive intermediates
Abstract:
What are you? Even though the metal-induced ring opening of 3,3-disubstituted cyclopropenes is known to serve as a genuine carbene generator, the use of AuI in this reaction leads to a reactive intermediate with highly cationic character. This result has important implications for gold catalysis in general, which in the past has been commonly attributed to the intervention of gold carbenes.