Copper-catalyzed decarboxylative coupling of aryl halides with alkynyl carboxylic acids performed in water

Most alkynes are volatile liquids, which are relatively difficult to use and to transport. In contrast, alkynyl carboxylic acids offer a stable and attractive alternative for the alkynylation reactions. Here, we employed alkynyl carboxylic acids as reaction partners for the alkynylation of aryl halides. Copper-catalyzed decarboxylative coupling, including various challenging aryl bromides with phenylpropiolic acid, was performed in water without using co-solvents with good yields. Our approach provides a low-loading, low-cost, stable and environmentally friendly copper catalyst system for decarboxylative coupling. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.