with the advantage that a toxic metal is not used and thus, while palladium is not cheap, this represents a viable, non-toxic alternative to the use of mercury in the preparation of gold C^N^C pincer complexes. Previously, we have observed that reactions of platinum(II) salts (in our case depending on the stoichiometry. In this case, there was evidence (purple mirror) for the formation of some Au 0 but in rather low quantity, suggesting that redox is not a major side reaction.