We report for the first time the highly selective semihydrogenation of alkynes using the unsupported nanoporous gold (AuNPore) as a catalyst and organosilanes with water as a hydrogen source. Under the optimized reaction conditions, the present semihydrogenation of various terminal-and internal-alkynes affords the corresponding alkenes in high chemical yields and excellent Z-selectivity without any over-reduced alkanes. The use of DMF as ...
