In the pursuit of a coherent synthetic
route for the synthesis
of carbo- and heterocycles, 2-alkynylarylnitrile has been recognized
as a useful and versatile building block in organic synthesis due
to the dual capacity of this precursor to act with a nucleophilic
of electrophilic nature. The alkynes implanted at the ortho position
improved the reactivity of the substrate for tandem cyclization and
annulations, which led to the synthesis of diverse and complex cyclic
compounds. This mini review summarizes the literature on the synthetic
transformations of 2-alkynylarylnitrile into biologically relevant
heterocycles as well as carbocycles such as isoindoles, isoquinolines,
naphthalenes, and indenones as well as building blocks for the synthesis
of various natural products. We hope that this concise review will
be a promissory entry for future research in this area.