Direct Alkynylation of Thiophenes: Cooperative Activation of TIPS–EBX with Gold and Brønsted Acids

United we stand! Cooperative activation of the hypervalent-iodine reagent TIPS-EBX with a gold catalyst and a Brønsted acid allowed the first direct ethynylation of thiophenes at room temperature (see scheme; TFA=trifluoroacetic acid). The obtained ethynylthiophenes are important building blocks for organic dyes and electronic materials. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as ”Supporting Information”. Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.