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Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Preparation of a Corannulene-functionalized Hexahelicene by Copper(I)-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition of Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units
Published on: September 18, 2016
(NHC)Copper(I)-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition of azides and mono- or disubstituted alkynes
Silvia Díez-González1, Andrea Correa, Luigi Cavallo
1Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) Av. Païso, Catalans 16, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
Abstract:
A versatile and highly efficient catalyst for the Huisgen cycloaddition reaction has been developed. Previously isolated or in situ generated azides yielded 1,2,3-triazoles with differently substituted alkynes in the presence of a [(NHC)CuBr] complex (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene). Extremely high reaction rates and excellent yields were obtained in all cases. This catalytic system fulfils the requirements of "click chemistry" with its mild and convenient conditions, notably in water or solvent free reactions and simple isolation with no purification step. Furthermore, for the first time, an internal alkyne was successfully used in this copper-catalyzed cycloaddition reaction. DFT calculations on this particular system allowed for the proposition of a new mechanistic pathway for disubstituted alkynes.
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