Gold and platinum catalysis--a convenient tool for generating molecular complexity.

This critical review intends to familiarize the reader with the essence of pi-acid catalysis, in particular with reactions or reaction cascades effected by gold and platinum complexes. Even though materialized in apparently different reactivity modes, such noble metal catalyzed processes can be easily rationalized on the basis of a uniform mechanistic scheme that is outlined in detail. The resulting increase in molecular complexity is illustrated by selected natural product total syntheses and the formation of various intricate non-natural compounds (106 references).