Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Functionalization of Alkynes with Organoboron Reagents: New Trends, Mechanistic Insights, and Applications

Catalytic functionalization of alkynes with organoboron reagents provides a straightforward access to stereochemically defined multisubstituted alkenes, which are structural motifs commonly found in bioactive compounds and organic materials. Recent progress has substantially broadened the scope of this field on several fronts. Strategies for regioselectivity control in the 1,2-migratory insertion across unsymmetrical internal alkynes, as well as for the direct access to products with anti-insertion stereochemistry, have been devised. The alkenyl-to-aryl 1,4-metal migration upon metal insertion has been recently exploited in powerful cascade sequences leading to complex polycyclic scaffolds, including the development of enantioselective processes. Elegant enantiospecific and dynamic kinetic resolution methods have been developed for accessing chiral allenes from propargylic alcohol derivatives. Mechanistic manifolds have emerged based on single-electron transfer (SET) that have provided a fresh impetus for alkyne 1,2-difunctionalization with complementary stereoselectivity to processes relying on 1,2-insertion of R–M species. Herein, we discuss the most recent advances in transition-metal-catalyzed functionalization of alkynes using organoboron reagents, categorized according to the type of mechanistic outcome. Emphasis is placed on mechanistic aspects, synthetic utility, limitations, and challenges for future research.