Gold-Catalyzed Meyer-Schuster Rearrangement: Application to the Synthesis of Prostaglandins

An improved protocol for the Meyer- Schuster rearrangement with dinuclear gold complexes allowing for low catalyst loadings is presented. The new protocol has been successfully applied to the synthesis of prostaglandins. This study helps exclude earlier mechanistic proposals and highlights the relevance and possibly more significant role of digold complexes in gold catalysis.