Highly stereoselective synthesis of trans -alkenes via electrochemical Ni-catalyzed hydroarylation of alkynes with aryl iodides.

An electrochemical nickel catalyzed hydroarylation reaction of various alkynes is herein described. In this reaction, alkynes were coupled with aryl iodides by electrochemical Ni catalysis to obtain highly selective trans -olefins. The outstanding features of this protocol include mild reaction conditions, operational simplicity, and excellent functional group tolerance.