“…Different types of mono-, di-, and trisubstituted enynes were involved into this transformation, providing tri- (16,17), tetra- (18,19), and pentasubstituted arylalkynes (20), respectively. 5 The requirement for Z-geometry of 1-substituted enynes can be overruled if the substituent R 3 = EWG (ester or cyano group, Scheme 1). E-to Z-isomerization of these activated enynes can take place under rather drastic reaction conditions, albeit slowly, the overall benzannulation process proceeds with reasonable efficiency.…”