Chemistry in environmentally benign media .8. Hydroxymethyl functionalized phosphanes as building blocks to new water-soluble gold(I) complexes - Synthesis, characterization, and X-ray crystal structures of novel tetrahedral [Au{P(CH2OH)(3)}(4)](+) and trigonal planar [Au(Ph2PCH2OH)(3)](+) gold(I) complexes

The reactions of water-soluble phosphanes P(CH2OH)(3) (1) and Ph2PCH2OH (2) with NaAuCl4 in aqueous or alcoholic media, produced the water/alcoholic-soluble Au-I complexes [Au{P(CH2OH)(3)}(4)](+) (3) and [Au(Ph2PCH2OH)(3)](+) (4) in near quantitative yields. The X-ray structures of 3 and 4, reported in this paper, confirm the structures of these new generation of water-soluble transition metal complexes. All compounds were characterized by H-1-, C-13-, P-31-NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The structures of 3 and 4 were determined by X-ray crystallography.