Room temperature hydroamination of N-alkenyl ureas catalyzed by a gold(i) N-heterocyclic carbene complex.

[Structure: see text] Treatment of an N-4-pentenyl or N-5-hexenyl urea with a catalytic 1:1 mixture of a gold(I) N,N-diaryl imidazol-2-ylidine complex and AgOTf at or near room temperature leads to intramolecular exo-hydroamination to form the corresponding nitrogen heterocycle in excellent yield.