When Alkyne π-Activation Meets Pinacol-Type [1,2]-Rearrangement: On the Invention of Domino Reactions for the Synthesis of Carbocycles and Heterocycles

Abstract

This is a personal account on how to create domino reactions consisting of catalyzed or uncatalyzed alkyne activation, cyclization, and subsequent rearrangement by a [1,2]-shift. In the context of literature reports on breakthrough works, we discuss our motivation, challenges, and success stories. The title reactions were developed with the goal of rapidly evolving molecular complexity in an experimentally easy manner. The value of the reactions in controlled syntheses of various carbocyclic and heterocyclic scaffolds through changing the nature of the substrate and the exact reaction conditions is demonstrated.