Primary amines are activated by copper(I)-based Lewis acid promoters in an A3-coupling one-pot solventless reaction with aldehydes and phenylacetylene for the synthesis of secondary propargylamines. The reaction is promoted by a CuSO4/NaI system, a practical precursor of the in situ generated effective CuI/I2 system, that worked well, but only in a restricted number of examples. Substitution of I2 with CeCl3·7H2O in a one-pot two-step reaction provided good yields and a wider applicability, with the added value given by a safer procedure.

A straightforward two-step synthesis protocol affords a series of chiral amide-based bis-pyridine substituted polyether macrocycles. One ligand is particularly able to complex Terbium(III) ion spontaneously. Upon complexation, interesting chiroptical properties...