Unknown chemistry of acetylene: one-year achievements

Abstract

The mini-review covers the results of the authors on acetylene chemistry achieved within 2022. This unusual format was selected in order to assess the dynamics and effectiveness of the developed approaches in result/time coordinates and the prospects for further research in these areas. The review discusses new reactions of acetylene and its derivatives that generally take place in superbasic media, in which the dual reactivity of the carbon—carbon triple bond (i.e. its ability to exhibit both nucleophilic and electrophilic properties) is most pronounced. The discovered by us reactions are the atom economical (they do not produce side products), energy- and resource-saving (they proceed at room or slightly elevated temperature), do not require transition metal catalysts, and can be implemented using inexpensive available starting compounds.