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Updated: Nov 12, 2025

Facile Preparation of 2Z,4E-Dienamides by the Olefination of Electron-deficient Alkenes with Allyl Acetate
Published on: June 21, 2017
Zinc-Catalyzed Hydroalkoxylation/Cyclization of Alkynyl Alcohols
Felipe de la Cruz-Martínez1, Marc Martínez de Sarasa Buchaca1, Juan Fernández-Baeza1
1Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Orgánica y Bioquímica-Centro de Innovación en Química Avanzada (ORFEO-CINQA), Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnologías Químicas, 13071-Ciudad Real, Spain.
Abstract:
Despite the great interest in zinc catalysis for hydroelementation reactions, the use of zinc complexes as catalysts for the hydroalkoxylation of alkynyl alcohols has not been reported to date. Scorpionate zinc complexes have been successfully designed as precatalysts for the hydroalkoxylation reaction of alkynyl alcohols under mild reaction conditions. Zinc amide complex 8 has been shown to be an excellent precatalyst for the highly selective intramolecular hydroalkoxylation process to yield the corresponding exocyclic enol ethers. Kinetic studies have been performed and confirmed that reactions are first-order in [catalyst] and zero-order in [alkynyl alcohol]. NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis provided evidence for the formation of an alkynyl zinc compound which has been shown to be a key intermediate in the hydroalkoxylation process. On the basis of the experimental results, a catalytic cycle is proposed.
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