A highly efficient, selective, and general method for the synthesis of conjugated (all-E)-oligoenes of the (CH=CH)n type via iterative hydrozirconation-palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling.

[reaction: see text] A linear iterative method for the construction of (all-E)-oligoenes of the (CH=CH)n type via hydrozirconation-palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling with (E)-1-bromo-4-trimethylsilyl-1-buten-3-yne is described. This method promises to provide an efficient, selective, and general route to oligoene macrolide antibiotics and other related natural products.