Nickel-Catalyzed Alkynylation of Anisoles via C-O Bond Cleavage

A new cross-coupling reaction has been developed for the introduction of an alkyne moiety to an anisole derivative through C-O bond activation using an NHC ligand. This method has been used for direct alkynylation of a broad range of anisole derivatives and provided rapid access to compounds with potential applications in biological and materials science.