Abstract
The selective syntheses of 1- and 2-indan-one compounds from 2-ethynylbenzyl ethers have been achieved with suitable catalysts and solvents. The highly acidic [tris(pentafluorophenyl)phos-phine]gold hexafluoroantimonate [(C <sub>6</sub> F <sub>5</sub> ) <sub>3</sub> AuSbF <sub>6</sub> ] in nitromethane (MeNO <sub>2</sub> ) preferably gives 1-indan-ones whereas [(ortho-biphenyl) di(tert-butyl)phosphine] gold triflimide [(tBu) <sub>2</sub> (o-biphenyl) AuNTf <sub>2</sub> ] in dichloroethane tends to form 2-indanone derivatives. For 2-indanone products, we isolated two indenyl methyl ethers for deuterium labeling analyses, providing evidence for p-alkyne activation. © 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH&Co. KGaA, Weinheim.