Recent Developments in Selenylation of Alkynes

Abstract Alkynes are simple yet important organic feedstocks. The selenylation of alkynes is able to produce complex selenium‐containing compounds in a facile way. Although there are some reviews about the selenylation of alkynes, most of them focus on one specific reaction or what types of products that can be obtained. There is a lack of attention given to the various uses of different selenium reagents and their mechanisms. This review mainly focuses on recent advances (2013–2023) based on diverse selenium reagents. Mechanisms and how the added reagents work will be discussed. Different reaction types, including difunctionalization, Se‐annulation, spiro‐cyclization, C−Se coupling, click reaction will be recorded in this review. The regioselectivity can be achieved through various mechanisms, including radicals, seleniraniums or electrophilic cyclization. We hope it will do help for future research in this area.