Nickel-Mediated Regio- and Chemoselective Carboxylation of Alkynes in the Presence of Carbon Dioxide

Alkynes are carboxylated in a highly regio- and chemoselective manner in the presence of Ni(cod)2, DBU, and CO2 to give the carboxylated products in good yields. The reaction was carried out under very mild conditions (CO2 1 atm, 0 °C) in the presence of a stoichiometric amount of alkynes, conjugated enynes, or diynes. The high selectivity observed in the reaction would be explained in terms of the stability and the reactivity of the intermediates.