The Crabbé reaction (or Crabbé allene synthesis, Crabbé–Ma allene synthesis) is an organic reaction that converts a terminal alkyne and aldehyde (or, sometimes, a ketone) into an allene in the presence of a soft Lewis acid catalyst (or stoichiometric promoter) and secondary amine.  Given continued developments in scope and generality, it is a convenient and increasingly important method for the preparation of allenes, a class of compounds often viewed as exotic and synthetically challenging to access.