Catalysis by gold nanoparticles: carbon-carbon coupling reactions

Abstract Gold nanoparticles have been demonstrated to be efficient catalysts for a wide range of reactions in the past decades, such as oxidation and hydrogenation. In recent research, gold nanoparticle catalysts have been utilized in carbon-carbon coupling reactions. These coupling reactions have been established as convenient and general approaches toward biaryl or propargylamines, which are biologically active compounds, natural products, and pharmaceutical organic compounds. This review aims to highlight the current achievements in the field of gold nanoparticle-catalyzed coupling reactions, including Ullmann homocoupling of halides, oxidative homocoupling of organoboronates, Suzuki cross-coupling of phenylboronic acid and halides, Sonogashira cross-coupling of iodobenzene and phenylacetylene, and A³-coupling reaction of phenylacetylene, amines, and aryl or alkyl aldehydes. The catalytic mechanisms of these carbon-carbon coupling reactions are discussed. Finally, we provide our perspectives on some future work on gold nanocatalysis in coupling reactions.