“…We are interested in the direct coupling of aryl groups through an acetylene unit, but with well defined diarylacetylene sequences. As models for polymerization reactions of this type, we have prepared the symmetrically and asymmetrically subsituted 1,2-(4,4'-dialkyloxyary1)-acetylene monomers (9)(10)(11)(12) and 1,4-bis[2-(4',4"-dialkyloxyaryl)ethynyl]-benzene dimers (9,13,14) shown in Scheme 2 by a three step, one pot, solid-liquid phase transfer Pd(O)/Cu(I) catalyzed coupling of 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-01 with aryl halides deactivated by electrondonating groups.…”