In connection with a project aimed at preparing new series of diketotetrazoles (see compound 1 in Scheme 1, for which two representative tautomers are shown) and pharmacophorrelated quinolinocarbonyltetrazoles, as further candidates for HIV-1 integrase inhibitors, [1] we sought a rapid entry into the synthesis of tetrazole esters 2 and/or 5-acetyltetrazoles 3 (Scheme 1). Formation of tetrazole rings by cycloaddition between nitriles and organic azides is in principle the most direct method, [2] but it usually requires very harsh conditions. Moreover, since N-unsubstituted tetrazole rings are wellrecognized bioisosters of the carboxyl groups, [2a] the development of any safe approach to tetrazoles of type 2 and 3, as well as to derivatives of general formula 4 (Scheme 1), would be of great use in the pharmaceutical industry.Most recent studies on the subject rely on a classical paper in which benzyl azide derivatives and alkyl cyanoformates (ROCO-CN) were heated without solvent at 130 8C in a sealed tube;[3] tetrazoles of type 2 can be achieved in roughly 60-70 % yields, at best. To reduce the hazards inherent to heating these polynitrogenated starting materials and products, Demko and Sharpless investigated a "click chemistry" approach [4,5] by using mainly acyl cyanides (RCO-CN) and organic azides, which allowed them to obtain compounds of type 3 (1,5-disubstituted) under solvent-free conditions, without catalysts, at 120 8C.[4a] From the more reactive p-toluenesulfonyl cyanide, excellent yields of 1,5-disubstituted tetrazoles were similarly obtained at 80-100 8C.[4b]These outstanding results encouraged us to investigate a series of potential catalysts for these [3+2]-cycloaddition reactions, aimed at achieving even safer conditions. The copper(I) complexes Cu 2 (OTf) 2 ·tol and Cu 2 (OTf) 2 ·C 6 H 6 (OTf = O 3 SCF 3 , tol = toluene) allow one to carry out most of the above reactions at room temperature, with or without solvent. This catalytic activity was not observed for other Cu I