Fritsch-Buttenberg-Wiechell rearrangement to alkynes from gem-dihaloalkenes with lanthanum metal

The first example of the FBW rearrangement using of lanthanum metal and a catalytic amount of iodine was disclosed. When gem-diiodo- and gem-dibromoalkenes were treated with lanthanum metal in the presence of a catalytic amount of iodine, the reductive dehalogenation of these compounds smoothly proceeded to produce the corresponding alkynes in moderate to good yields.