A facile route for the synthesis of vinyl-substituted 1,3,4-oxadiazoles

An efficient synthesis of vinyl-substituted 1,3,4-oxadiazoles using o-nitrophenyl sulfoxide precursor via syn-elimination reaction using sodium acetate in THF is described. This method is cost effective as it uses cheap o-nitrothiophenol and can be used in the synthesis of vinyl intermediates during synthesis of bioactive compounds, which avoids the use of any toxic metals.