Mild and Selective Palladium-Catalyzed Dimerization of Terminal Alkynes to Form Symmetrical (Z,Z)-1,4-Dihalo-1,3-dienes.

A regioselective and stereoselective palladium-catalyzed dimerization of terminal alkynes method for the synthesis of symmetrical (Z,Z)-1,4-dihalo-1,3-dienes is presented. In the presence of a catalytic amount of PdX2 and 3 equiv of CuX2 (X = Cl and Br), terminal alkynes were dimerized to afford (Z,Z)-1,4-dihalo-1,3-dienes in good yields. The results showed that the effect of solvent had a fundamental influence on the chemoselectivity of the dimerization reaction. The mechanism of the palladium-catalyzed dimerization reaction is also discussed.