A straightforward method for the synthesis of unsymmetrically substituted 1,3-diynes

An efficient synthetic approach to a variety of unsymmetrically substituted conjugated diynes has been developed, starting from the readily available 1,4-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1,3-butadiyne, based upon the selective and sequential substitution of the trimethylsilyl groups with alkyl, aryl and vinyl groups.