Described herein are gold (III) compounds according to formula (I) for use as emitters in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) and methods of making and using said compounds. The gold (III) compound includes a group 15 element containing tridentate ligand and one aryl auxiliary ligand that are both coordinated to the gold (III) metal center to form a series of thermally stable and highly luminescent gold (III) complexes. The gold (III) compounds disclosed herein can be used as light-emitting material for fabrication of OLEDs. The gold (III) compounds can be deposited as a layer or a component of a layer using a solution processing technique or a vacuum deposition process. The gold (III) compounds are robust and can provide electroluminescence with high efficiency and brightness.