Electronic Effects in a Green Protocol for (Hetero)Aryl-S Coupling

Aryl and heteroaryl iodides have been efficiently converted into the corresponding thioacetates in cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME), a green solvent, under Cu catalysis. The chemoselectivity of the reaction is mainly controlled by electronic factors, enabling the conversion of both electron-rich and electron-deficient substrates into the corresponding thioacetates in good to excellent yields. The products can be easily deprotected to the corresponding thiolates to carry out additional synthetic transformations in situ. Surprisingly, despite CPME's relatively low dielectric constant, the reaction rate significantly increased when conducted under microwave irradiation conditions. This synthetic methodology exhibits a remarkable tolerance to functional groups, mild reaction conditions, and a wide substrate scope, utilizing a safe and inexpensive CuI pre-catalyst in the green solvent CPME. A non-aqueous workup allowing for the complete recovery of both catalyst and solvent makes this approach an environmentally sustainable protocol for C(sp2) sulfur functionalization. Additionally, the reaction shows selective cross-coupling with iodides in competition with chlorides and bromides, allowing its use in multistep syntheses. To demonstrate the potential of this methodology, it was applied to the high-yield synthesis of a photochromic dithienylethene, where a selective synthesis had not been reported before.

A mechanism of alkali metal carbonates catalysing the synthesis of β-hydroxyethyl sulfide with mercaptan and ethylene carbonate

The reaction of β-hydroxyethylation is essential to the current practice of organic chemistry. Here, we proposed a new and green route to synthesize 2-hydroxyethyl n-alkyl sulfide with n-alkyl mercaptan and ethylene carbonate (EC) in the presence of alkali carbonates as catalysts and revealed the mechanism by experiments and theoretical calculations. The reaction reported proceeds rapidly with high yields when it is performed at 120 °C and the catalytic loading is ∼1 mol%. This protocol is applicable to other mercaptans to synthesize the corresponding β-hydroxyethyl sulfide. Density functional theory-based calculations show the energy profile for the reaction pathway. The rate-determining step is the ring-opening of EC. A negatively charged O atom of alkali carbonates approaches the S atom of -SH under the influence of hydrogen bonds. An activated S atom that carries more negative charge serves as a nucleophilic reagent and assists in the ring-opening of EC by reducing the Mayer bond orders of the C1-O1 bond in EC. Alkali cations also contribute to the C1-O1 bond cleavage. The energy barrier for the ring-opening of EC decreases with the decrease of electronegativity of alkali cations. Subsequent transference of a H atom leads to the formation of β-hydroxyethyl sulfide, the dissociation of CO2 and the reduction of K2CO3.

CoII immobilized on an aminated magnetic metal–organic framework catalyzed C–N and C–S bond forming reactions: a journey for the mild and efficient synthesis of arylamines and arylsulfides

The catalytic activity of Fe₃O₄@AMCA-MIL53(Al)-NH₂-Co^II NPs as a novel and inexpensive catalyst was investigated in the C–N and C–S cross coupling reactions.