Expanding the horizon of intermolecular trapping of in situ generated α-oxo gold carbenes: efficient oxidative union of allylic sulfides and terminal alkynes via C-C bond formation.

With a new P, S-bidentate phosphine as the ligand to gold( I), the alpha-oxo gold carbenes generated in situ via gold-catalyzed intermolecular oxidation of terminal alkynes were effectively trapped by various allylic sulfides, resulting in the formation of a-aryl(alkyl) thio-gamma,delta-unsaturated ketones upon facile [2,3] sigmatropic rearrangements.