Au-Mn Bond Formal Metathesis with Ar-F via Synergistic Bimetallic Activation

Selective C-F activation with gold-complex has been esteemed as a long-standing issue owing to a kinetically unfavorable oxidative addition elementary reaction. Herein, we report a synergistic bimetallic Au-Mn bond formal metathesis with aromatic C(sp²)-F bond, establishing a versatile platform for the synthesis of polyfluorophenyl-substituted Au(I) complexes. A wide range of structurally diverse L-Au(I)-Ar^Fn complexes (37 examples, up to 98% yield) have been readily constructed. Mechanistic studies together with DFT calculations support that the key C-F bond cleavage proceeds via thermodynamically and kinetically feasible Au-Mn bimetallic cooperative activation, rather than direct oxidative addition toward either Au or Mn metal center. Notably, these aryl gold(I) complexes exhibit broad biological functions, including anticancer and/or anti-inflammatory efficacy, facilitating promising candidate drug discovery for pharmaceutical development. This bimetallic strategy should open new avenues to achieve unique reactivity profiles and novel mechanistic pathways.