Pincer Complexes of Gold: An Overview of Synthesis, Reactivity, Photoluminescence, and Biological Applications

Abstract This chapter discusses the structures, reactivity patterns, and applications of gold(III) pincer complexes, organized according to ligand types: (1) neutral heteroatom pincers type N^N^N; (2) anionic heteroatom pincers N (−) ^N^N (−) and E (−) ^N^E (−) (E=O, S); (3) neutral C-based pincers C^N^N; (4) monoanionic C-based pincers C (−) ^N^N, C^N (−) ^C, and N^C (−) ^N; and (5) dianionic C-based ligands C (−) ^N^C (−) and C (−) ^C (−) ^N, with emphasis on the more recent literature. The ability of pincer complexes to stabilize previously unknown compounds, such as gold(III) hydrides, alkene, CO, and CO 2 complexes is discussed, followed by a discussion on their photophysical properties and the applications as luminescent compounds and a survey of their biological and medicinal activity, especially their role as cytotoxic agents in anticancer studies.