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Updated: Sep 24, 2025

Metal-free Synthesis of Ynones from Acyl Chlorides and Potassium Alkynyltrifluoroborate Salts
Published on: February 24, 2015
Cesium-Fluoride-Promoted Synthesis of Stable Organocesium Reagents and Their Ambident Reactivities with Arynes
Suhail A Rather1,2, S Athimoolam3, Qazi Naveed Ahmed1,2
1Natural Product and Medicinal Chemistry Division, Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), 180001, Canal Road, Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir, India.
Abstract:
Described are the diverse reactivities of novel, stable, ambident thio-organocesium reagents (bearing electron withdrawing groups) against benzynes. Reactions at reflux temperature predominantly led to the generation of various functionalized stable sulfonium ylides and at 40 °C the same reaction underwent direct c-arylation. Furthermore, lack of internal hydrogen on the cesium reagent helped to produce different ortho-bifunctional arynes in both the reactions. Interestingly, depending on the reactivities of substrates, the one-pot tri-component procedure generated either ylides or σ-bond insertion products.
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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.
Electrophilic Addition to Alkynes: Halogenation
Halogenation is another class of electrophilic addition reactions where a halogen molecule gets added across a π bond. In alkynes, the presence of two π bonds allows for the addition of two equivalents of halogens (bromine or chlorine). The addition of the first halogen molecule forms a trans-dihaloalkene as the major product and the cis isomer as the minor product. Subsequent addition of the second equivalent yields the tetrahalide.
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.