Water as a Reactant:\nDABCO-Catalyzed Hydration of\nActivated Alkynes for the Synthesis of Divinyl Ethers

A practical and efficient addition of water to readily\navailable\nactivated alkynes delivering divinyl ethers is reported. The reaction\nproceeds with full atom economy in a very straightforward experimental\nprocedure. Additionally, of all the tertiary amines studied to catalyze\nthe reaction, the best and most efficient is clearly DABCO (1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane).\nFinally, the solvent choice is crucial for the efficiency of this\nprocess and we have found that the reaction is best performed in wet\ndichloromethane for propiolic esters and alkynones, and in wet acetonitrile\nfor propiolamides.