Alkyne-Alkyl Acids

Alkynes can undergo a Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (CuAAC) to afford 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles. Developed by K. Barry Sharpless and Morton Meldal, this type of chemical transformation was quickly dubbed “Click Chemistry”. It has since become a widely used reaction that is orthogonal to many other types of chemical transformations and is used in various kinds of applications. Due to its high thermodynamic driving force, the Click reaction rapidly proceeds to completion in almost all cases.