Oxidation of Alkynes via Catalytic Metal-Vinylidenes

Abstract

Metal-vinylidenes, generated by treatment of terminal alkynes with transition metals, are very useful intermediates in modern synthetic chemistry as shown by the high number of transformations in which they are involved. When a metal-vinylidene is generated in the presence of an oxidant, its immediate oxidation to a ketene occurs. In this short review, recent synthetic applications of the oxidation of alkynes via ketene intermediates from initially formed metal-vinylidenes­ are highlighted.1 Introduction2 Oxidation of Metal-Vinylidenes with Internal Oxidants3 Oxidation of Metal-Vinylidenes with External Oxidants4 Conclusions