Lithium acetylides as alkynylating reagents for the enantioselective alkynylation of ketones catalyzed by lithium binaphtholate.

Chiral lithium binaphtholate effectively catalyzed the enantioselective alkynylation of ketones using lithium acetylide as an alkynylating agent. This is the first example of the catalytic enantioselective addition of lithium acetylide to carbonyl compounds without the aid of other metal sources. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011