Direct conversion from alkenes to alkynes

Nature ( 2026 ) Cite this article
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Alkynes are widely used as feedstock chemicals and functional groups in organic chemistry 1,2 .

However, while the hydrogenation from an alkyne to an alkene is well established, typical methods for the reverse reaction – conversion of an alkene to an alkyne, are based on elimination chemistry reported in the 1860s 3 and use forcing conditions (strong base or high temperatures) 4-6 .

This precludes more general application on functional molecules.

Here we report a recyclable selenanthrene reagent that mediates alkenes desaturation to alkynes under mild conditions.

This method shows broad compatibility with both classical leaving groups and sensitive functional groups, enabling application late-stage in the efficient synthesis of complex alkynes.

Moreover, this platform enables Z/E alkenes configuration inversion or sorting that are inaccessible with existing methods, highlighting its potential for diverse downstream derivatizations.

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State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
Junhong Meng 
( 蒙骏鸿 ), Yiqi Liang 
( 梁亦奇 ), Ruilin Xu 
( 徐瑞麟 ), Zengrui Cheng 
( 程增瑞 ), Yilei Huang 
( 黄祎磊 ), Hongwei Shi 
( 石宏伟 ), Yichi Chen 
( 陈奕驰 ), Xi Wang 
( 王曦 ), Jialiang Wei 
( 魏佳良 ), Binzhi Zhao 
( 赵斌x治 ) & Ning Jiao 
( 焦宁 )
Beijing Key Laboratory of AI-Driven Drug Discovery and Development, Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, Beijing, China
New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Peking University, Beijing, China
College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
State Key Laboratory of Organometallic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai, China
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Correspondence to Ning Jiao 
( 焦宁 ) .

Supplementary Information (download PDF )
This Supplementary Information file contains the following sections: 1 General process; 2.

Condition screening and comparison; 3.

Characterization of the intermediates; 4.

Synthetic applications; 5.

Reaction mechanism study; 6.

Synthesis of substrates; 7.

Alkyne synthesis from alkene; 8.

NMR spectra; and 9.

References.

Peer Review File (download PDF )
DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10372-3