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CsF-Mediated in Situ Desilylation of TMS-Alkynes for Sonogashira Reaction
Joseph S Capani1, John E Cochran1, Jianglin Colin Liang1
1Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated , 50 Northern Avenue , Boston , Massachusetts 02210 , United States.
Abstract:
A practical and mild set of conditions for the Sonogashira reaction utilizing CsF-mediated in situ TMS-alkyne desilylation followed by Sonogashira coupling has been developed for the synthesis of a variety of alkynyl benzenes and heteroarenes in good to excellent yields. This methodology demonstrates excellent functional group tolerance and simple purification, which allows large-scale industrial applications. This one-pot protocol enables a high-yielding Sonogashira coupling with volatile alkynes by avoiding challenging isolation of free alkynes.
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Preparation of Alkynes: Alkylation Reaction
Alkylation of terminal alkynes with primary alkyl halides in the presence of a strong base like sodium amide is one of the common methods for the synthesis of longer carbon-chain alkynes. For example, treatment of 1-propyne with sodium amide followed by reaction with ethyl bromide yields 2-pentyne.
Nomenclature of Alkynes
Acidity of 1-Alkynes
The acidic strength of hydrocarbons follows the order: Alkynes > Alkenes > Alkanes. The strength of an acid is commonly expressed in units of pKa — the lower the pKa, the stronger the acid. Among the hydrocarbons, terminal alkynes have lower pKa values and are, therefore, more acidic. For example, the pKa values for ethane, ethene, and acetylene are 51, 44, and 25, respectively, as shown here.
Preparation of Alkynes: Dehydrohalogenation
Alkynes can be prepared by dehydrohalogenation of vicinal or geminal dihalides in the presence of a strong base like sodium amide in liquid ammonia. The reaction proceeds with the loss of two equivalents of hydrogen halide (HX) via two successive E2 elimination reactions.
Mass Spectrometry: Alkyne Fragmentation
Structure and Physical Properties of Alkynes
In nature, compounds containing both carbon and hydrogen are known as "hydrocarbons". Aliphatic hydrocarbons are compounds whose molecules contain saturated single bonds (i.e., alkanes) or unsaturated double or triple bonds. Alkenes contain carbon–carbon double bonds and have a structural formula CnH2n. Unsaturated hydrocarbons containing carbon–carbon triple bonds are called "alkynes" and are structurally represented by the formula CnH2n-2.
The...

