It arises from the condensation of
acetylene and
acetone. The addition can be promoted with
base (
Favorskii reaction) or with
Lewis acid catalysts. 2-Methylbut-3-yn-2-ol is produced on an industrial scale as a precursor to terpenes and terpenoids. . 2-Methylbut-3-yn-2-ol also is used as a monoprotected version of acetylene. For example, after arylation at carbon, the acetone can be removed with base: :HC2C(OH)Me2 + ArX + base → ArC2C(OH)Me2 + [Hbase]X :ArC2C(OH)Me2 → ArC2H + OCMe2 In this regard, 2-methylbut-3-yn-2-ol is used similarly to
trimethylsilylacetylene. ==References==