9.6 Oxidative Cleavage of Alkynes

Alkynes, like alkenes, can be cleaved by reaction with powerful oxidizing agents such as ozone or KMnO4, although the reaction is of little value and it is mentioned only for completeness. A triple bond is generally less reactive than a double bond, and yields of cleavage products can be low. The products obtained from cleavage of an internal alkyne are carboxylic acids; from a terminal alkyne, CO2 is formed as one product.