An Efficient Method for the Production of Terminal Alkynes from 1,1-Dibromo-1-alkenes and its Application in the Total Synthesis of Natural Product Dihydroxerulin

An efficient method of preparing various terminal alkynes from 1,1-dibromo-1-alkenes by using TBAF (tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride) as a base and triphenylphosphane as a reductant was developed. This method is strong base and low/high temperatures free, and can tolerate a broad range of substrates. These advantages were well demonstrated by the application of this method to the total synthesis of polyene natural product dihydroxerulin.