Regioselective Cyclotrimerization of Terminal Alkynes Using a Digermyne

Abstract

The catalytic activation of small neutral molecules followed by the formation of C−C bonds is a highly important method to increase the complexity and/or value of simple starting materials. Reported is an isolable digermyne, a compound with a Ge≡Ge bond, which acts as a precatalyst for the cyclotrimerization of terminal arylacetylenes to afford the corresponding 1,2,4‐triarylbenzenes with absolute regioselectivity. The results demonstrate that bespoke main‐group‐element compounds can catalytically activate and transform small neutral organic molecules and induce the formation of C−C bonds.