Palladium-Catalyzed Synthesis of Alkynes via a Tandem Decarboxylation/Elimination of (E)-Enol Triflates.

A mild catalytic synthesis of alkynes via a tandem Pd-catalyzed decarboxylation/elimination of enol triflates is described. Key attributes of the method include readily available starting materials, broad functional group tolerance, and the ability to access terminal, internal, and halogenated alkynes. The preliminary scope of the reaction is demonstrated on 25 different examples with yields ranging from 63% to 96%.