2‐Methyl‐4‐(4‐pyridyl)‐3‐butyn‐2‐ol (2) was prepared in 70% yield by the reaction of 4‐bromopyridine with 2‐methyl‐3‐butyn‐2‐ol in diethylamine in the presence of bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II) chloride and copper(I) iodide. Removal of the protective group in 2 by refluxing with sodium hydroxide in toluene yields (90%) 4‐ethynylpyridine (3). Oxidative coupling of 3 in pyridine by dioxygen in the presence of copper(I) chloride produces a 92% yield of 1,4‐bis(4‐pyridyl)butadiyne.

4,4′‐Divinyl‐2,2′‐bipyridine (2) was prepared in 12% overall yield from 4,4′‐dimethyl‐2,2′‐bipyridine (3) via a 5 step reaction sequence involving the intermediate 4,4′‐R2‐2,2′‐bipyridines: R = COOH, 4; CO2CH3, 5; CH2OH, 6; CHO, 7. The newly synthesized compounds 2, 6 and 7 were characterized by melting point, infrared, 1H nmr, mass spectrometry and elemental analysis.

Das aus 4‐Brom‐pyridin (I) und dem Acetylen‐Aceton‐Addukt (II) in Gegenwart von Pd‐Katalysatoren erhaltene Addukt (III) wird alkalisch zum 4‐Ethinyl‐pyridin (IV) verseift und dann in Gegenwart von Cu‐Salz zum 1,4‐Di‐pyridyl‐1,4‐butadiin (V) oxidativ dimerisiert.