Copper-catalysed photoinduced decarboxylative alkynylation: a combined experimental and computational study

as a ligand provides a general strategy to generate a range of alkyl radicals from RAEs of carboxylic acids, which can be readily coupled with a variety of aromatic alkynes. The scope of this cross-coupling reaction can be further expanded to aliphatic alkynes and alkynyl silanes using a catalytic amount of preformed copper-phenylacetylide. In addition, DFT calculations revealed the favorable reaction pathway and that the bidentate acetylacetonate ligand of the copper intermediate plays an important role in inhibiting the homo-coupling of the alkyne.