Butafulvene is a constitutional isomer of benzene, comprising a cyclobutene skeleton bearing two exocyclic conjugated methylene units. As a result of the intrinsic high strain energy and anti-aromaticity, the preparation of butafulvene compounds has been a fundamental issue for the development of butafulvene chemistry. Here an efficient palladium-catalysed coupling protocol involving propargylic compounds has been developed, providing a solid and versatile strategy for the rapid assembly of symmetric butafulvene derivatives. Based on mechanistic studies, two complementary mechanisms, both involving palladium catalysis, have been confirmed. With the mechanism unveiled, the synthesis of non-symmetric butafulvenes has also been achieved. Advantages of this strategy include tolerance to a wide range of propargylic molecules, mild reaction conditions, simple catalytic systems and easy scalability. The synthetic potential of the products as platform molecules for cyclobutene derivatives has also been demonstrated.

丁富烯是苯的结构异构体，包含带有两个环外共轭亚甲基单元的环丁烯骨架。由于其固有的高应变能和抗芳香性，丁富烯化合物的制备一直是丁富烯化学发展的一个基本问题。在这里，已经开发出一种涉及炔丙基化合物的高效钯催化偶联方案，为对称丁富烯衍生物的快速组装提供了可靠且通用的策略。基于机理研究，已经证实了两种互补的机理，都涉及钯催化。随着机理的揭示，也实现了非对称丁富烯的合成。该策略的优点包括对广泛的炔丙基分子的耐受性，温和的反应条件，简单的催化系统和易于扩展。该产品作为环丁烯衍生物的平台分子的合成潜力也已得到证实。