Sunlight-Driven Decarboxylative Alkynylation of α-Keto Acids with Bromoacetylenes by Hypervalent Iodine Reagent Catalysis: A Facile Approach to Ynones

A novel and practical decarboxylative alkynylation of alpha-keto acids with bromoacetylenes is catalyzed by hypervalent iodine(III) reagents when irradiation by sunlight at room temperature. The product ynones are generated in good yields. Experiments show that results obtained with blue light (lambda= 450-455 nm) are comparable to those obtained when using sunlight. Mechanistic studies demonstrate that the sunlight-driven decarboxylation undergoes a radical process.