A much improved route to 1,1'-bis(arylethynyl)ferrocenes comprising accessible thiolates on the aryl ring is reported. Unanticipated reactions between AcCl, TBAF-BBr3 and ferrocenyl-alkynes are also discussed, offering a rationale for previous synthetic difficulties.

A new method for the regioselective three-component cross-coupling of alkyl halides, alkynes, or enynes with organomagnesium or organozinc reagents in the presence of a nickel catalyst and a dppb ligand has been developed.

α,α-Difluoro-substituted organozinc reagents generated from conventional organozinc compounds and difluorocarbene couple with 1-bromoalkynes affording gem-difluorinated alkynes. The cross-coupling proceeds in the presence of catalytic amounts of copper iodide in dimethylformamide under ligand-free conditions.

A catalytic method to synthesize the highly strained cyclobutene was developed. The reaction was believed to proceed through a formal indium-catalyzed [2+2] cycloaddition between electron-deficient enynals and various alkynes.

Enantioselective metallo-organocatalyzed carbocyclizations of formyl-alkynes have been developed. The cooperation between aminocatalysis and a chiral copper(I) complex granted access to enantio-enriched cyclopentanes through the challenging formation of all-carbon quaternary stereocenters.

A combination of hexamethyldisilane and deuterium oxide was found to work as a deuterium transfer reagent for alkynes in the presence of a catalytic amount of a palladium complex to give (E)-1,2-dideuterioalkenes selectively through the corresponding (Z)-isomer.

The coupling of coumarins with alkynes is described, which proceeds through a palladium-catalyzed cascade sequence. This process provides a new route to the synthesis of highly substituted cyclopentadiene fused chromones.

A palladium catalyzed highly regio- and stereoselective intermolecular tandem reaction of alkynes, CuCl(2) and alkenes by a sequence of chloropalladation/Heck reaction to produce chloro-substituted 1,3-dienes is achieved.

Sequential alkyne activation of terminal alkynes and propiolic acids by gold(I) catalysts yields compounds having α-pyrone skeletons. Novel cascade reactions involving propiolic acids are reported that give rise to α-pyrones with different substitution patterns.

We describe a straightforward protocol for a smooth dehydrogenative annulation reaction between various arenes and terminal alkynes using a catalytic amount of CuBr2 and molecular oxygen. 3-Methyleneisoindoline derivatives are prepared in high yields.