Room‐Temperature Arylation of Thiols: Breakthrough with Aryl Chlorides

The formation of aryl C−S bonds is an important chemical transformation because aryl sulfides are valuable building blocks for the synthesis of biologically and pharmaceutically active molecules and organic materials. Aryl sulfides have traditionally been synthesized through the transition‐metal‐catalyzed cross‐coupling of aryl halides with thiols. However, the aryl halides used are usually bromides and iodides; readily available, low‐cost aryl chlorides often not reactive enough. Furthermore, the deactivation of transition‐metal catalysts by thiols has forced chemists to use high catalyst loadings, specially designed ligands, high temperatures, and/or strong bases, thus leading to high costs and the incompatibility of some functional groups. Herein, we describe a simple and efficient visible‐light photoredox arylation of thiols with aryl halides at room temperature. More importantly, various aryl chlorides are also effective arylation reagents under the present conditions.     

Well-defined,air-stable (NHC)Pd(Allyl)Cl (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) catalysts for the arylation of ketones

A number of palladium-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes were found to be active catalysts for the arylation of ketones. A large number of substrates, both aryl halides and ketones, are compatible with the reaction conditions. The ketone arylation reactions are achieved with low catalyst loading in short reaction times using aryl chlorides and triflates as reactive partners. [reaction: see text]     

Copper oxide nanoparticles catalyzed synthesis of aryl sulfides via cascade reaction of aryl halides with thiourea

Recyclable copper oxide nanoparticles catalyzed simple and highly efficient protocol for the synthesis of symmetrical aryl sulfides was developed by the cross-coupling of aromatic halides with inexpensive and commercially available thiourea which was used as an effective sulfur surrogate. The present cross-coupling protocol of thiourea, via cascade reaction with various substituted aryl halides, producing desired aryl sulfides, has an added advantage of avoiding foul-smelling thiols.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Zinc‐Amide‐Mediated CH Arylation of Fluoroarenes and Heteroarenes with Aryl Sulfides

C?H arylation of polyfluoroarenes and heteroarenes with aryl sulfides proceeds smoothly with the aid of a palladium–N‐heterocyclic carbene catalyst. A bulky zinc amide, TMPZnCl ? LiCl, plays a key role as an effective base to generate the corresponding arylzinc species in situ. This arylation protocol is practically much easier to perform than our previous method, which necessitates preparation of the arylzinc reagents in advance from the corresponding aryl halides. Aryl sulfides that are prepared through sulfur‐specific reactions, such as S_NAr sulfanylation and extended Pummerer reactions, undergo this direct arylation, offering interesting transformations that are otherwise difficult to achieve with conventional halogen‐based organic synthesis.     

Efficient recyclable CuI-nanoparticle-catalyzed S-arylation of thiols with aryl halides on water under mild conditions

CuI nanoparticles efficiently catalyzed the C-S cross coupling of aryl and alkyl thiols with aryl halides in the absence of ligands on water under mild conditions. A wide range of diaryl sulfides and aryl alkyl sulfides are synthesized in good to excellent yields utilizing this protocol. This procedure is particularly noteworthy given its mild conditions, avoiding the undesired formation of disulfides through oxidation of thiols. The recovery and successful reutilization of the catalyst is described. Furthermore, the directed synthesis of bisarylated product is presented.     

α‐Arylation of Ketimines with Aryl Sulfides at a Low Palladium Catalyst Loading

Instead of using aryl halides, aryl sulfides, typically poisonous to transition‐metal catalysts, were found to serve as aryl electrophiles in the catalytic α‐arylation of ketimines, a class of carbonyl derivatives. Low catalyst loadings (down to 0.5 mol %) of a palladium–NHC complex are sufficient for efficient arylation. α‐Arylated ketimine products are useful for the synthesis of various azaarenes, including 2,3‐diarylpyrroles, an indole, and pyrrolediones.     

Efficient nickel/N-heterocyclic carbene catalyzed C-S cross-coupling

The cross-coupling reaction of aryl halides with aliphatic and aromatic thiols catalyzed by readily available Ni(OAc)₂ with N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) is reported. Ni(OAc)₂/NHC catalyst showed good activities toward various aryl halides in C-S coupling reaction, even with aryl chlorides. Reactions occurred in excellent yields, broad scope, and high tolerance of functional groups.     

A general and long-lived catalyst for the palladium-catalyzed coupling of aryl halides with thiols

A general catalytic system for the coupling of aryl halides and sulfonates with thiols based on the use of the CyPF-t-Bu ligand (1) is reported. The reactions catalyzed by complexes of 1 occur in excellent yields with broad scope and exhibit extraordinary turnover numbers and high tolerance of functional groups. Turnover numbers usually exceed those of previous catalysts by 2 or 3 orders of magnitude. In addition, the reactions of aryl tosylates with alkane thiols to form aryl sulfides are reported for the first time. Finally, the synthesis of a diarylsulfide from two bromoarenes was accomplished using a hydrogen sulfide surrogate.     

A general and efficient method for the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of thiols and secondary phosphines

The general and efficient cross-coupling of thiols with aryl halides was developed utilizing Pd(OAc)₂/1,1′-bis(diisopropylphosphino)ferrocene as the catalyst. The substrate scope is broad and includes a variety of aryl bromides and chlorides, which can be coupled to aliphatic and aromatic thiols. This catalyst system has the widest substrate scope of any reported to date. The present catalyst system also enables the palladium-catalyzed coupling of secondary phosphines with aryl bromides and chlorides.     

Transition metal catalyzed synthesis of aryl sulfides

The presence of aryl sulfides in biologically active compounds has resulted in the development of new methods to form carbon-sulfur bonds. The synthesis of aryl sulfides via metal catalysis has significantly increased in recent years. Historically, thiolates and sulfides have been thought to plague catalyst activity in the presence of transition metals. Indeed, strong coordination of thiolates and thioethers to transition metals can often hinder catalytic activity; however, various catalysts are able to withstand catalyst deactivation and form aryl carbon-sulfur bonds in high-yielding transformations. This review discusses the metal-catalyzed arylation of thiols and the use of disulfides as metal-thiolate precursors for the formation of C-S bonds.     

A highly efficient and widely functional-group-tolerant catalyst system for copper(I)-catalyzed S-arylation of thiols with aryl halides

A mild, general, and efficient copper-catalyzed system for C-S bond formation with high chemoselectivity and wide functional group tolerance is developed. With CuBr as catalyst and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-8-hydroxy-quinoline as ligand, the S-arylation of thiols with aryl halides performed well, the activated aryl iodides could take place even at room temperature, and the activated aryl bromides and chlorides give the corresponding products with good to excellent yields as well.     

Stereo-recognizing transformation of (E)-alkenyl halides into sulfides catalyzed by nickel(0) triethyl phosphite complex

(E)-Alkenyl halides were transformed into (E)-alkenyl sulfides by the nickel(0) triethyl phosphite complex-catalyzed reaction with thiols, whereas (Z)-alkenyl halides gave alkynes under the same reaction conditions. Aryl halides were also transformed into aryl sulfides using the same reagent system.     

Highly efficient and functional-group-tolerant catalysts for the palladium-catalyzed coupling of aryl chlorides with thiols

The cross-coupling reaction of aryl chlorides with aliphatic and aromatic thiols catalyzed by palladium complexes of the strongly binding bisphosphine CyPF-tBu ligand (1) is reported. Most of the reactions catalyzed by complexes of ligand 1 occur with turnover numbers that exceed those of previous catalysts by two orders of magnitude. The reactions occur with excellent yields, broad scope and high tolerance of functional groups. Coupling of aryl halides with thiols in the presence of low loadings of catalysts derived from other Josiphos type ligands, as well as ligands of other structural types, are also described.     

Nickel–Schiff base complex catalyzed C–S cross-coupling of thiols with organic chlorides

We report an efficient, mild and convenient synthetic protocol for the C–S cross-coupling reaction of various aryl, benzyl, allyl chlorides and thiols using 5 mol % Nickel–Schiff base catalyst with NaOH as the base, in DMF at 70 °C. Using this protocol, we have shown that a variety of aryl sulfides can be synthesized in excellent yields from readily available organic chlorides and thiols.     

Palladium-catalyzed arylation of alpha,alpha-disubstituted arylmethanols via cleavage of a C-C or a C-H bond to give biaryls

The palladium-catalyzed arylation of alpha,alpha-disubstituted arylmethanols with aryl halides proceeds not only via C-H bond cleavage at the ortho-position, but also via cleavage of the sp(2)-sp(3) C-C bond with the liberation of ketones (beta-carbon elimination) to give the corresponding biaryls. Both reactions appear to occur through common arylpalladium(II) alcoholate intermediates. The results of systematic studies with respect to which C-C or C-H bond is preferentially cleaved in the arylation are reported. Among the important findings is the selective elimination of ortho-substituted aryl groups even from aryl(diphenyl)methanols due to steric reasons. Thus, various biaryls having ortho-substituents can be produced efficiently by treatment of the corresponding aryl(diphenyl or dimethyl)methanols with aryl bromides and chlorides.     

A facile one-pot synthesis of alkyl aryl sulfides from aryl bromides

A convenient one-pot synthetic method for the formation of alkyl aryl sulfides from various alkyl halides and lithium aryl thiolates that are prepared in situ by direct halogen-lithium exchange is reported. In particular, the method overcomes many of the problems encountered in previous reports; it is very quick, catalyst-free, and does not involve use of unstable aryl thiols.     

A Simple and Efficient Copper(Ⅱ) Complex as a Catalyst for N-Arylation of Imidazoles

Four inexpensive and air‐/moisture‐stable pyrrolecarbaldiminato‐Cu complexes 1 – 4 were synthesized and evaluated to be a novel class of catalysts for the N‐arylation of imidazoles with aryl halides. A variety of aryl iodides, bromides and activated aryl chlorides underwent the coupling with imidazoles, promoted by the catalyst 4 , in moderate to good yields without the protection by an inert gas.     

Efficient copper-catalyzed S-vinylation of thiols with vinyl halides

The synthesis of vinyl sulfides through the coupling reaction of thiols with vinyl iodides, bromides, and chlorides is described. The thiols can couple with aryl iodides in the presence of only 0.5 mol % Cu(2)O without the need for an ancillary ligand. In the presence of 5 mol % of Cu(2)O and 10 mol % 1,10-phenanthroline as the ligand, the more challenging alkyl vinyl bromides can also be coupled with thiols, giving the vinyl sulfides in good to excellent yields.     

Highly efficient and magnetically separable nano-CuFe_2O_4 catalyzed S-arylation of thiourea by aryl/heteroaryl halides

The non-toxic and magnetically separable nano-CuFe_2O_4 catalyzed synthesis of symmetrical aryl sulfides by the reaction of thiourea with a wide variety of aryl halides,including aryl chlorides has been reported.Excellent yields of products have been obtained under ligand-free conditions and without the use of any expensive catalyst,such as palladium.     

Highly regioselective internal heck arylation of hydroxyalkyl vinyl ethers by aryl halides in water

Highly regioselective and fast Pd(0)-catalyzed internal alpha-arylation of ethylene glycol vinyl ether with aryl halides was shown to be possible in water without the need for any halide scavengers or ionic liquid additives. This presents, to our knowledge, the first case of water being utilized in the selective arylation of electron-rich olefins. Resulting alpha-products were hydrolyzed and isolated as corresponding acetophenones in good to excellent yields when using aryl bromides and with good to moderate yields in the case of aryl iodides. Microwave irradiation was shown to be beneficial in activation of aryl chlorides toward the internal Heck arylation. The scope of the protocol was further increased to include different hydroxyalkyl vinyl ethers, these all giving selectively only branched alpha-products. Finally, the active role of the hydroxy group in directing the regioselectivity toward internal arylation of electron-rich olefins, even in nonpolar toluene, was revealed.