The propargyl ethers 7-chloro-(4-propargyloxy)quinoline, 1-propargyloxynaphthalene and 2-propargyloxybenzophenone react with [AuCl(PPh₃)] in the presence of KOH to give the gold(I) alkynyl complexes [Au(CCOCH₂Ar)(PPh₃)] in good yields. The compounds were fully characterised by spectroscopic methods and were subsequently examined for their biological activity against four tumour cell lines as well as their activity against Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for malaria. The compounds show antiproliferative effects in human cancer cells with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.4–12 μM.