Oxazolinethiones and Oxazolidinethiones for the First Copper-Catalyzed Desulfurative Cross-Coupling Reaction and First Sonogashira Applications

The Liebeskind-Srogl C-C cross-coupling reaction

Although a plethora of highly selective and reliable methods for the construction of C-C bonds are known to organic chemists, there is growing interest in the development of new protocols that offer different or orthogonal reactivity to that of existing methods. In 2000, Liebeskind and Srogl described a mechanistically unprecedented transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling of thioesters with boronic acids to produce ketones under neutral conditions. This desulfitative cross-coupling process is catalytic in palladium(0), stoichiometric in copper(I), and applicable to a range of organosulfur derivatives and nucleophilic organometallic reagents. In this Minireview, we highlight recent applications of this intriguing cross-coupling reaction in modern organic synthesis, with an emphasis on cases in which traditional methods for C-C bond formation have failed.