Gold-Catalyzed Addition of HX to Alkynes

Among the myriad of organic transformations that have been developed in the area of gold catalysis, the addition of HX to alkynes has been a field of intense investigation. This chapter presents the main and recent contributions in the field of gold-catalyzed nucleophilic addition of HX to alkynes. The presentation includes the addition of O-nucleophiles (including water, alcohols and carboxylic acids), of N-nucleophiles and other heteroatom nucleophiles (including thiols and halogens) to alkynes. The historical background for inter- and intramolecular additions, the domino processes and the applications to natural products synthesis are highlighted. Keywords: alcohol; alkyne; amide; amine; carboxylic acid; gold; heterocycle; nucleophilic addition; thiol