Hydroesterification of alkynes with carbon monoxide and alcohols1 or with formate esters2 is a process of great practical importance. However, the corresponding chloroesterification reaction, which provides a one-step synthesis of β-chloro-R, β-unsaturated esters with much synthetic potential, 3 has never been reported. In recent years we have been interested in transition metal complex-catalyzed addition reactions of EE′ bonds (E, E′) heteroatom ...
