Rhenium-catalyzed regio- and stereoselective addition of two carbon units to terminal alkynes via carbon-carbon bond cleavage of β-keto sulfones

Treatment of β-keto sulfones with terminal alkynes gave unsaturated δ-keto sulfones in good to excellent yields under rhenium catalysis. In this reaction, the insertion of the alkynes into the nonstrained carbon-carbon single bond between the α- and β-positions of the β-keto sulfones proceeded smoothly, and (Z)-isomers were produced with high regio- and stereoselectivities.