Iron-Catalyzed gem-Specific Dimerization of Terminal Alkynes.

We report a gem-specific homo- and cross-dimerization of terminal alkynes catalyzed by a well-defined iron(II) complex containing Cp* and picolyl N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands, and featuring a piano-stool structure. This catalytic system requires no additives and is compatible with a broad range of substrates, including those with polar functional groups such as NH and OH.