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 we mention it 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.