Four tetrahydroquinoline-based chiralcarbeneprecursors were synthesized using unsymmetrical N,N′-diarylformamidines and chiral 2-allyloxiranes as starting materials. A representative NHC–gold complex has been prepared and fully characterized, the crystal structure of which reveals an intramolecular Au⋯H–C(sp3) interaction between Au(I) and the hydrogen atom of the isopropyl moiety in the N-aryl group