Novel Supramolecular Gold(I)-Cavitand Catalysts and Approach to the Total Synthesis of Monomarginine

Over the last two decades, gold(I)-catalyzed transformations have shown great potential for building molecular complexity. Our research group has played a key role in this area by synthesizing gold(I) complexes, applying them in the creation of novel synthetic methodologies, and exploring their underlying mechanisms. This Doctoral Thesis is centered on expanding the understanding of asymmetric gold(I) catalysis, developing new gold(I) catalysts, and pursuing innovative synthetic strategies towards natural products.

Previous approaches for the design of different ligands for gold(I) complexes have been a widely studied topic in our group. This work is centered on bulky cavitand ligands that offer a cavity pocket to shape the reaction outcomes as well as direct the selectivities in different reactions. Inspired by the success of the first gold(I)-cavitand family previously developed, the synthesis and applications of a novel family of gold(I)-cavitand complexes has been explored. Different modifications in their structure have been proposed and carried out to new applications.

Other area of study is centered in the structure elucidation and total synthesis of monomarginine, a natural product from monocarpia marginalis. The structure of this natural product has been reassigned and efforts towards its preparation have been undertaken. This work summarizes several synthetic strategies followed towards the total synthesis of this molecule.