Base-Free Direct Synthesis of Alkynylphosphonates from Alkynes and H-Phosphonates Catalyzed by Cu2O
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Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Author Spotlight: Accelerating Discovery in Microporous Material Chemistry
Published on: October 6, 2023
Yanina Moglie1, Evangelina Mascaró1, Victoria Gutierrez1
1Instituto de Química del Sur, INQUISUR (CONICET-UNS), Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional del Sur , Avenida Alem 1253, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
Abstract:
A simple and mild methodology for the direct synthesis of alkynylphosphonates is presented. The reaction of a variety of terminal alkynes with dialkyl phosphites in the presence Cu2O (14 mol %) led to the formation of the corresponding alkynylphosphonates in good to excellent yields. Reactions are performed under air, in acetonitrile as solvent, and in the absence of base or ligand additives. This new methodology is compatible with the presence of a wide variety of functional groups on the starting alkynes and can be scaled up to a gram scale.
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