Siloxy alkynes in annulation reactions.

Siloxy alkynes are a family of versatile species in organic synthesis. This account reviews the annulation reactions of siloxy alkynes for the synthesis of a variety of carbo- and heterocyclic products. With various dipolarophiles or dipolarophile-like reaction partners, siloxy alkynes are capable of forming small (three- to six-membered) rings. Recently, we have expanded the scope to the synthesis of medium- and large-ring lactones, enabled by the design of new amphoteric molecules as well as a new ring-expansion strategy. These annulation reactions provide not only practically useful syntheses of cyclic molecules, but also important understanding of the fundamental reactivity of siloxy alkynes.