Substitution reactions of terminal acetylenes

Since the substitution reaction succeeded so well with olefins, the obvious extension to acetylenes was tried. Of course, only terminal acetylenes could be used if an acetylenic product was to be formed. This reaction has been found to occur but probably not by a mechanism analogous to the reaction of olefins (43,44). It was found that the more acidic acetylene phenylacetylene reacted with bromobenzene in the presence of triethylamine and a bisphos-phine-palladium complex to form diphenylacetylene, while the less acidic acetylene, 1-hexyne did not react appreciably under the same conditions. The reaction did occur when the more basic amine piperidine was used instead of triethylamine, however (43). Both reactions occur with sodium methoxide as the base (44). It therefore appears that the acetylide anion is reacting with the catalyst and that a reductive elimination of the disubstituted acetylene is 

Organic halide Acetylene Base Reaction conditions Product (% yield) Reference 

C6HsBr C6H5feCH C5NHnb 100s, 2.5 hr C6HsC=CC6H5 (64) 43 

0 Catalyst was cither Pd(PPh3) (OAc)2 or Pd(PPh3)4, b CsNHn, piperidine. 

The acetylene substitution reaction proceeds much more rapidly than the related olefin reaction. The acetylene products and starting materials also undergo side reactions such as polymerization concurrently with the substitution. The best yields are obtained when the reactants are diluted with a large excess of amine, or carried out at lower temperatures in methanol with sodium methoxide as the base. Vinylacetylene derivatives can also be prepared by this reaction starting with vinylic halides. For example, ( )-methyl 3-bromo-2-methylpropenoate and r-butylacetylene react in 2 hours at 100° to form the expected vinylacetylene derivative in 59% yield  

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