Synthesis of Naphthalenyl Triflates via the Cationic Annulation of Benzodiynes with Triflic Acid.

A highly efficient and regioselective annulation of benzodiynes promoted by triflic acid has been developed. This protocol provides a step and atom-economic access to a series of naphthalenyl triflates. Furthermore, direct synthetic applications of this reaction are also elaborated through cross-coupling reactions to generate synthetically useful multisubstituted naphthalenes.