Abstract
Gold-catalyzed oxidative cyclizations of 1,4-enynes were used to study the γ-effect on the Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement. Both experimental and theoretical work disclose that a gold substituent in the γ-position can direct a stereospecific 1,2-shift of the anti-β-substituent regardless of its intrinsic properties. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.