Imidazopyridine substituted cyclic selenonium(IV) salts as chalcogen bond catalysts.

We present imidazopyridine-substituted dicationic selenonium(IV) salts as a new class of highly tuneable organoselenium catalysts. These monodentate chalcogen bond donors were prepared through a mild oxidation-cyclization protocol, incorporating cationic heterocycles to enhance the σ-hole on selenium. The selenonium salts demonstrate high catalytic activities in Povarov cyclizations and in activating gold complexes, highlighting their potential in advanced catalytic applications.