A treatment of cobalt oxide supported gold nanoparticles (Au/Co3O4) under syngas atmosphere effectively generated a cobalt carbonyl-like active species in the reaction vessel. The preparation of Au/Co3O4 was quite simple and the in situ generated cobalt species could be used as a stable and easy handling alternative for dicobalt octacarbonyl without bothersome purification prior to use. The reactions, which are sensitive to the ...