Different inorganic and organometallic gold (III) and gold (I) complexes have been tested in the addition of water and methanol to terminal alkynes. Anionic and neutral organometallic gold (III) compounds can efficiently mediate these reactions in neutral media in refluxing methanol. The compounds are added in catalytic amounts (1.6-4.5 mol% with respect to the alkyne). Thus, compounds of the general formula Q [AuRCl3], Q [AuR2Cl2],[AuRCl2] 2, ...