NHC-Catalyzed Hydroacylation of Unreactive Alkynes

Significance

An intramolecular N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed hydroacylation of unactivated alkynes is described. In this paper, electron-rich alkynes are less reactive than electron-poor analogues, and less reactive alkynes are applied well to the cascade Stetter reaction. This work is the first example of a NHC-catalyzed cascade reaction involving the hydroacylation of unreactive alkynes without metal catalysts.