The synthesis and characterization of hitherto hypothetical AuIII π-alkyne complexes is reported. Bonding and stability depend strongly on the trans effect and steric factors. Bonding characteristics shed light on the reasons for the very different stabilities between the classical alkyne complexes of PtII and their drastically more reactive AuIII congeners. Lack of back-bonding facilitates alk...

A chemically-activatable alkynyl steroid analogue probe has been synthesized for visualizing the lipid raft membrane domains by Raman microscopy. The Raman probe, in which ring A of its steroid backbone is replaced with an alkynyl group, was designed to enable activation of the alkyne signal through the Eschenmoser-Tanabe fragmentation reaction of the oxidized cholesterol precursor in lipid bil...

A novel strategy for alkyne-alkyne cross-coupling has been developed under the palladium catalysis. In this reaction, ene-yne-ketones are employed as carbene precursors, which couple with terminal alkynes through the metal carbene migratory insertion process. Furan-substituted enynes are obtained in good yields and in a stereoselective manner.

Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cyclization (CuAAC) is the paradigmatic click reaction of continuous interest. Especially fluorogenic and FRET probes have become indispensable tools for life sciences. Here, we present a fluorescent alkyne for monitoring CuAAC, which undergoes a bathochromic shift upon reaction. Application in single-molecule and catalysis research is foreseen.

An efficient, modular synthesis of triptycene derivatives is presented, in which the triptycene ring system is constructed from readily available anthraquinone and alkyne starting materials. A rhodium-catalyzed alkyne cyclotrimerization reaction serves as the key step in this new method for the preparation of these useful unnatural products.

Chelation of Cu(I) ions to an immobilized hydrophilic tris(triazolylmethyl)amine chelator on a solid support allowed synthesis of RNA oligonucleotide conjugates from completely deprotected alkyne-oligonucleotides. No oligonucleotide strand degradation or metal ion contamination was observed. Furthermore, use of the immobilized copper(I) ion overcame regioselectivity issues associated with strai...

A vicinal ethylene bridged S/B frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) in situ generated by a hydroboration reaction of phenyl vinyl sulfide, reacts with p-tert-butylphenylacetylene by ethene/alkyne exchange and subsequent 1,2-addition of a second alkyne equivalent to give a zwitterionic sulfonium/borate product.

Trypsin has been encapsulated in the mesopores of a hierarchical mesoporous silica material synthesized via Cu(I) catalyzed azide-alkyne click reaction between azide functionalized large spherical SBA-15 particles and alkyne functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). Encapsulated trypsin functions as an efficient biocatalyst and can be recycled several times.

Complexes of novel alkyne-chelating tridentate ligands bound to a rhodium atom were isolated and characterised. The present alkyne-rhodium complex underwent dimerisation simply by heating to afford the unprecedented cyclobutadiene dirhodium complex. It is also found that the ligands at the trans positions influence the π-coordination of alkynes.