A Novel Fluorinated Gold(I) N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complex: Exploiting Fluorine Stereoelectronic Effects To Control Molecular Topology

The synthesis of a novel fluorinated Au(I) N-heterocyclic carbene is disclosed together with solid-state and solution-phase conformational analysis. The potential of the fluorine gauche effect [sigma(C-H) --> sigma(C-F)*] for controlling the topology of catalytically relevant architectures is showcased by a representative NHC in which the C-F bond is beta to the triazolium moiety.