One-pot synthesis of thioesters with sodium thiosulfate as a sulfur surrogate under transition metal-free conditions

Catalytic Atroposelective Synthesis of N-N Axially Chiral Indolylamides

The catalytic atroposelective synthesis of N-N axially chiral indolylamides was established via dynamic kinetic resolution, which makes use of chiral Lewis base-catalyzed asymmetric acylation of N-acylaminoindoles as a new type of platform molecule with anhydrides. By this strategy, a series of N-N axially chiral indolylamides were synthesized in overall good yields (up to 98%) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). Moreover, some of these N-N axially chiral indolylamides display some extent of anticancer activity, which demonstrates their potential application in medicinal chemistry. Therefore, this work has not only provided a new strategy for the synthesis of N-N axially chiral monoaryl indoles but also offered a new member of N-N axially chiral monoaryl indoles with configurational stability and promising application, thereby solving the challenges in atroposelective synthesis and application of N-N axially chiral monoaryl indoles.

Pyridine-borane complex-catalysed thioesterification: the direct conversion of carboxylic acids to thioesters

Thioesters are a common class of biologically active fragments and synthetically useful building blocks. An attractive synthetic approach would be to use simple and bench-stable carboxylic acids as a coupling partner. Herein, we present a 4-bromo pyridine-borane complex as a catalyst for the direct coupling of carboxylic acids with thiols. A wide range of thioesters with good functional group compatibility could be prepared via this metal-free approach. The merit of this strategy is exemplified by the modification of carboxylic acid-containing drugs.

In situ generation of acyloxyphosphoniums for mild and efficient synthesis of thioesters

We present a novel approach for in situ generation of acyloxyphosphoniums by premixing iodobenzene dicarboxylates and triphenylphosphine, resulting in efficient thioester synthesis (up to 100% yield). Stable solid iodobenzene dicarboxylates, achieved via carboxylate exchange, serve as hypervalent iodine precursors. The resulting acyloxyphosphoniums allow convenient one-pot thioester synthesis under mild conditions. Our method demonstrates facile acyloxyphosphonium production from iodobenzene dicarboxylates and Ph3P, enabling diverse thioester preparation. ESI-MS analysis confirms acyloxyphosphonium ion formation, pivotal in acylation. This strategy holds potential for combinatorial thioester synthesis and broader nucleophile modification applications.

Synthesis of Thioesters from Aldehydes via N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) Catalyzed Radical Relay

We have developed an efficient N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed thioesterification of aldehydes using N-thiosuccinimides as the thiolation reagent. This organocatalyzed transition involves the generation of sulfur radicals by single electron transfer of the Breslow enolate (generated from aldehyde and NHC catalyst) with N-thiosuccinimides. This method offers facile access to various highly functionalized thioesters and exhibits good chemical yields and functional group tolerance.

Palladium-Catalyzed Desulfonative Carbonylation of Thiosulfonates: Elimination of SO2 and Insertion of CO

A palladium-catalyzed desulfonative carbonylation of thiosulfonates has been explored. Without any additive, a series of S-aryl/alkyl benzenesulfonothioates were successfully transformed to thioesters in moderate to excellent yields by SO₂ extrusion and CO insertion under the pressure of 1 bar of CO. The solvent dimethylacetamide (DMAc) facilitated this desulfonative carbonylation due to its high absorbing ability of SO₂.

Site-Selective Acylation of Phenols Mediated by a Thioacid Surrogate through Sodium Thiosulfate Catalysis

Sodium thiosulfate was used as the sulfur source that reacts with anhydrides to generate acyl-Bunte salts, after which a reaction with phenols was induced. This protocol can be applied for the site-selective acylation of the phenolic hydroxyl group in the presence of other alcoholic groups. The advantages of this acylation method are operational simplicity, high efficiency, and the use of odorless reagents with low toxicity.

Visible-Light-Mediated Cross Dehydrogenative Coupling of Thiols with Aldehydes: Metal-Free Synthesis of Thioesters at Room Temperature

Thioesters play a crucial role in biological systems and serve as important building blocks for organic synthesis. Herein, Eosin Y and TBHP mediated photochemical cross dehydrogenative coupling (PCDC) between feedstock aldehydes and thiols has been described at room temperature to synthesize thioesters. This thioesterification protocol proceeds smoothly to give the desired products in good to excellent yields by the suitable PCDC of both alkyl/aryl- aldehydes with a variety of alkyl/aryl-thiols and generates water and ^tBuOH as green byproducts. This method is also found to be scalable with good efficiency. Mechanistic investigations reveal that under this photochemical condition, the formation of acyl radical can be achieved from aldehyde. This acyl radical was further intercepted with an intermediate disulfide, generated in situ via the dehydrogenation of thiol to give the desired thioester. Moreover, disulfides, which are relatively easier to handle, also provided good to excellent yields in the optimized reaction condition. This protocol was further extended toward the more challenging direct transformation of alcohols to thioesters.

Selective synthesis of α-organylthio esters and α-organylthio ketones from β-keto esters and sodium S-organyl sulfurothioates under basic conditions

We described herein a selective method to prepare α-organylthio esters and α-organylthio ketones by the reaction of β-keto esters with sodium S-benzyl sulfurothioate or sodium S-alkyl sulfurothioate (Bunte salts) under basic conditions in toluene as the solvent at 100 °C. When 4 equivalents of a base were used, a series of differently substituted α-thio esters were obtained with up to 90% yield. On the other hand, employing 2 equivalents of a base, α-thio ketones were achieved after 18 h under air. Furthermore, after a shorter reaction time, the isolation of keto-enol tautomers was possible, revealing them as significant intermediates for the mechanism elucidation.

Cu-Catalyzed Oxidative Thioesterification of Aroylhydrazides with Disulfides

An alternative thioesterification reaction via copper-catalyzed oxidative coupling of readily available aroylhydrazides with disulfides is developed, in which oxidative expulsion of N₂ overcomes the activation barrier between the carboxylic acid derivatives and the products. The reaction produces various thioesters in good to excellent yields with good functional group tolerance. In the reaction, stable and easily available aroylhydrazides are used as acyl sources and the relatively odorless disulfides are used as S sources. Mechanistic investigations demonstrate that the reaction of copper salt and oxidant (NH₄)₂S₂O₈ allows for achievement of tandem processes, including deprotonation, free-radical-mediated denitrogenation, and C-S bond formation.

Synthesis of S-aryl thioesters via palladium-catalyzed thiocarbonylation of aryl iodides and aryl sulfonyl hydrazides

Aryl sulfonyl hydrazide reacted with aryl iodide in the presence of CO to give the corresponding S-aryl thioesters.

A sulfur coordination polymer with wide bandgap semiconductivity formed from zinc(II) and 5-methylsulfanyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thione

The sulfur coordination polymer catena-poly[zinc(II)-μ2-bis[5-(methylsulfanyl)-2-sulfanylidene-2,3-dihydro-1,3,4-thiadiazol-3-ido-κ2 N 3:S]], [Zn(C3H3N2S3)2] n or [Zn2MTT4] n , constructed from Zn2+ ions and 5-methylsulfanyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thione (HMTT), was synthesized successfully and structurally characterized. [Zn2MTT4] n crystallizes in the tetragonal space group I\overline{4} (No. 82). Each MTT− ligand (systematic name: 5-methylsulfanyl-2-sulfanylidene-2,3-dihydro-1,3,4-thiadiazol-3-ide) coordinates to two different ZnII ions, one via the thione group and the other via a ring N atom, with one ZnII atom being in a tetrahedral ZnS4 and the other in a tetrahedral ZnN4 coordination environment. These tetrahedral ZnS4 and ZnN4 units are alternately linked by the organic ligands, forming a one-dimensional chain structure along the c axis. The one-dimensional chains are further linked via C—H...N and C—H...S hydrogen bonds to form a three-dimensional network adopting an ABAB-style arrangement that lies along both the a and b axes. The three-dimensional Hirshfeld surface analysis and two-dimensional (2D) fingerprint plots confirm the major interactions as C—H...S hydrogen bonds with a total of 35.1%, while 7.4% are C—H...N hydrogen-bond interactions. [Zn2MTT4] n possesses high thermal and chemical stability and a linear temperature dependence of the bandgap from room temperature to 270 °C. Further investigation revealed that the bandgap changes sharply in ammonia, but only fluctuates slightly in other solvents, indicating its promising application as a selective sensor.

Transition metal-free functionalized hydration of alkynes: one-pot synthesis of fluorinated β-keto-imidates using Selectfluor

A transition metal-free, four-component one-pot synthesis of polyfunctionalized fluorinated β-keto-imidates via the functionalized hydration of alkynes has been described. The intermediate 1,3-ketoamino moiety was obtained from easily accessible arylpropioladehyde and arlyhydroxylamine and was treated with Selectfluor delivering fluorinated β-keto-imidates. A wide variety of functional groups are tolerated under mild reaction conditions and the product applicability is highlighted.