Copper(II) catalysis provides cyclohexanone-derived propargylamines free of solvent or excess starting materials: sole by-product is water

A high-yielding three-component reaction proceeds under mild, solvent-free conditions for access to a wide variety of fully-substituted propargylamines. Inexpensive copper(II) chloride catalyzes the coupling of equimolar amounts of amines, alkynes, and cyclohexanone such that the only by-product is one equivalent of water.