Gold(III) bromide is used as a catalyst in a variety of reactions. It catalyzes the reaction between an enynal unit and carbonyl compounds to form a six-membered cyclic compound. Another catalytic use of gold tribromide is in the nucleophilic substitution reaction of propargylic alcohols, with the gold complex acting as an alcohol-activating agent to facilitate the substitution. It can be used as a testing reagent for the presence of ketamine.

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