Novel Gold(I)– and Gold(III)–N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: Synthesis and Evaluation of Their Anticancer Properties

A novel Au­(III)–N-heterocyclic carbene organometallic complex supported by two N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands was synthesized from Au­(SMe2)Cl and 1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-2H-imidazo­[1,5-a]­pyridin-4-ylium hexafluorophosphate via a Ag intermediate. X-ray crystallography revealed the first example of a square planar geometry adopted by a Au­(III) species stabilized by two NHCs and two chloride ligands. The aforementioned Au­(I)– and Au­(III)–NHC complexes were found to be more potent than cisplatin against the HCT 116, HepG2, A549, and MCF7 cell lines.