Oxidative Intramolecular 1,2-Amino-Oxygenation of Alkynes under AuI/AuIII Catalysis: Discovery of a Pyridinium-Oxazole Dyad as an Ionic Fluorophore

Oxidative intramolecular 1,2-amino-oxygenation reactions, combining gold(I)/gold(III) catalysis, is reported. The reaction provides efficient access to a structurally unique ionic pyridinium-oxazole dyad with tunable emission wavelengths. The application of these fluorophores as potential biomarkers has been investigated.