Synthesis methods, structure and applications of metal di-, tetra- and dihalodicyanoaurates

Cyanoaurate complexes are a wide class of compounds with diverse structures. In particular, coordination polymers based on them have many potential practical applications, including such fields as microelectronics, nanotechnology, materials science, and medicine. In addition, when new functional materials are developed, considerable attention is paid to the possibility of participation of molecules and other structural units in non-covalent interactions, which play an important role in determining the physicochemical properties, as well as the biological activity of these materials. Thus, the presence of aurophilic contacts or halogen-halogen bonds in cyanoaurate complexes only fuels the researchers' interest in this class of compounds. Nowadays, the chemistry of gold cyanides continues to develop rapidly, so synthesis and study of new cyanoaurate compounds, as well as systematization of the acquired knowledge, remain important objectives. The present review, which includes the description of modern advances in the field of synthesis methods, study of structural features and possibility of practical use of metal di-, tetra- and dihalodicyanoaurates of molecular and ionic types, is based on an analysis of the literature sources, most of which were published before 2022. Some later works are also mentioned in the review. The information presented in the article is of a fundamental nature and is undoubtedly important for specialists in the field of inorganic and organometallic chemistry of gold. The bibliography consists of 232 references.