Cobalt-catalyzed annulation of aryl iodides with alkynes

A cobalt-catalyzed approach for the concise synthesis of naphthalenes by the annulation of aryl iodides with alkynes is disclosed. In the reaction, manganese reductant and MeCN solvent are necessary to proceed efficiently, which tolerates various functional groups, for example, boronate ester. Mechanistic investigation indicates that the transformation employs electrophilic aromatic substitution (SEAr) in the aromatic C–H bond replacement step.