Abstract

Many advances have been made in recent years in the methods for the synthesis of acetylenes and many compounds are now rather readily available in the pure state. Acetylene was first prepared by Davy, who treated acetylide with water. Propyne, the first substituted acetylene was obtained in 1861. At the present time alkynes are usually synthesized by the alkylation of sodium acetylide or substituted metallic acetylides, often in liquid ammonia and 1-Alkynes are also obtained by dehydrohalogenation of suitable halides with sodium amide or in certain cases by ethanolic alkali. The present discussion will be limited to methods for the creation of a carbon-carbon triple bond and to the alkylation of metallic acetylides.