Palladium-catalyzed hydroarylation of 1,3-diynes with arylboronic acids.

Transition-metal-catalyzed selective hydroarylation of alkynes represents a state-of-the-art approach in organic chemistry. Herein, we report the reaction of symmetrical 1,3-diynes and arylboronic acids, with Pd(OAc) as the catalyst and PCy as the ligand, affording functionalized enynes in good to excellent yields. Its efficiency is demonstrated by its good functional group tolerance and broad substrate scope. This method offers a general, convenient, and practical strategy for the modular synthesis of multisubstituted enynes. To comprehensively elucidate the mechanism of the Pd-based catalytic system in the hydroarylation of 1,3-diynes, we performed detailed DFT computations for the Pd-catalyzed hydroarylation reaction.