Baeyer first reported the synthesis of diiodoacetylene (1) and diiodobutadiyne (2) in 1885. 1 Heilbronner and co-workers reported the synthesis of 2 in pure form in the 1970s. 2 These two molecules (Figure 1) have received renewed interest recently as precursors to conjugated polymers, including carbyne, 3 and as constituents in multicomponent conducting salts. 4 In the 115 years since Baeyer's initial description of 1 and 2, however, ...
