A reaction vessel consisting of two planar electrodes coated with a layer of insulating metal oxide was constructed. With a gold(I)-NHC catalyst attached to the oxide surface of the working electrode, application of a voltage across the electrodes allows the catalysts to experience strong electric fields at the oxide�solution interfaces. These fields induce large changes in catalyst selectivity for enyne isomerization and alkynyl sulfoxide rearrangement reactions, implicating a controllable field�dipole interaction that could be widely exploited in catalysis.

Electric field control of the selectivity of an organometallic catalyst

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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