Practical Methods for the Synthesis of Trifluoromethylated Alkynes: Oxidative Trifluoromethylation of Copper Acetylides and Alkynes

Two practical and complementary methods are reported for the synthesis of trifluoromethylated alkynes. The first one, a mix-and-stir process, is based on the oxidative trifluoromethylation of readily available and bench-stable copper acetylides while the second one, which displays a broad substrate scope and has several advantages over existing procedures, is based on the oxidative copper-catalyzed direct trifluoromethylation of terminal alkynes. Both reactions provide user-friendly processes for the synthesis of trifluoromethylated acetylenes which can be easily obtained from readily available starting materials.