Synthesis of 2-mercapto-substituted thieno[2,3-d]thiazoles and ben zothieno[3,2-d] thiazoles

2-Mercaptothieno[2, 3-d]thiazoles were synthesized from bis(2-nitro-3-thienyl) disulfide by successive reduction of, initially, the disulfide bond and the nitro group in the presence of carbon disulfide without isolation of the intermediate 2-nitro-3-mercaptothiophene. 2-Mercaptobenzo-[b]thieno[3, 2-d]thiazole was synthesized by reaction of 3-aminobenzo[b]thiophene hydrochloride with sulfur monochloride and cleavage of the resulting benzo[b]thienothiazothionium chloride with sodium sulfide in the presence of carbon disulfide.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 10, pp. 1355–1356, October, 1976.