Calcium Carbide: Versatile Synthetic Applications, Green Methodology and Sustainability

Abstract

Acetylene is a key building block for organic chemistry and potentially can be involved in a diverse range of synthetic transformations. However, critical analysis of practical considerations showed that application of gaseous acetylene in regular synthetic labs encounters a number of difficulties. Safety limitations due to flammable and explosive nature of gaseous acetylene and requirements for specialized high‐pressure equipment impose serious drawbacks. Typical reaction conditions involve excess of gaseous reactant, which is simply released to the atmosphere at the end of the reaction, thus generating waste and causing contamination. Calcium carbide brings a new green and sustainable wave into powerful alkyne transformations and significantly expands the repertoire of traditional acetylene chemistry. The novel trend of using calcium carbide instead of gaseous acetylene is synthetically beneficial and opens a novel reactivity for the C≡C unit. This review highlights recent advances in carbide chemistry, demonstrates its advantages and prospects in term of green synthetic approach.