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Updated: May 19, 2026

Metal-free Synthesis of Ynones from Acyl Chlorides and Potassium Alkynyltrifluoroborate Salts
Published on: February 24, 2015
Quick installation of a 1,4-difunctionality via regioselective nickel-catalyzed reductive coupling of ynoates and
Sanjeewa K Rodrigo1, Hairong Guan
1Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, P.O. Box 21072, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0172, USA.
Abstract:
The development of efficient methods for the synthesis of molecules with 1,4-difunctionalities has been a dire need of the synthetic community. In this work, intermolecular reductive coupling of ynoates and aldehydes (in the presence of a silane) has been accomplished for the first time using catalytic amounts of Ni(COD)(2), an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, and PPh(3). High regioselectivity has been demonstrated for the multicomponent coupling reactions, and more than a dozen invaluable silyl-protected γ-hydroxy-α,β-enoates have been synthesized. This methodology provides a quick entry to many other 1,4-difunctional compounds and oxygen-containing five-membered rings. The intermediacy of metallacycles in the catalytic process has been established by deuterium-labeling experiments.
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