A gold(i)-catalysed chemoselective three-component reaction between phenols, α-diazocarbonyl compounds and allenamides.

Gold(i) catalysts are considered to be efficient in promoting sp(2) C-H bond insertion at the para position of unprotected phenols because of the exceptionally chemical reactivity of gold-stabilized carbophilic carbocations. Herein, we present a gold(i)-catalysed three-component reaction between phenols, diazocarbonyl compounds and allenamides, affording the corresponding three-component reaction products with excellent geometric selectivity (E : Z > 20 : 1) in moderate to high yields (up to 90%) under mild conditions. Additionally, a gram-scale transformation and diverse transformations of the resulting product show the high synthetic utility of the present three-component protocol.