Helical Chiral N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands in Enantioselective Gold Catalysis

The first chiral helicene-NHC gold(I) complexes efficient in enantioselective catalysis were prepared. The L-shaped chiral ligand is composed of an imidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-3-ylidene (IPy) scaffold laterally substituted by a configurationally stable [5]-helicenoid unit. The chiral information was introduced in a key post-functionalization step of a NHC-gold(I) complex bearing a symmetrical anionic fluoreno[5]helicene substituent, leading to a racemic mixture of complexes featuring three correlated elements of chirality, namely central, axial and helical chirality. After HPLC enantiomeric resolution, X-ray crystallography and theoretical calculations enabled structural and stereochemical characterization of these configurationally stable NHC-gold(I) complexes. The high potential in asymmetric catalysis is demonstrated in the benchmark cycloisomerization of N-tethered 1,6-enynes with up to 95 : 5 er.