Supramolecular host-guest chemistry has emerged as a promising method for performing organic transformations. We have used tetrahedral Ga4L6 clusters to encapsulation of a variety of gold(I)-phosphine complexes. The resulting complex readily catalyzes the intramolecular hydroalkoxylation of allenes in water and shows an 8-fold increase in catalytic activity relative to the unbound catalyst.  Furthermore, the hydroalkoxylation reaction with encapsulated gold catalysts can be employed in parallel with enzymatic processes. Preliminary results suggest that supramolecular encapsulation can prevent undesired interactions between gold and biological enzymes, preserving the activity of both catalysts.

Catalysis by gold(I) complexes encapsulated in a supramolecular host

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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