C-S Bonds and Related Reactions

1 SYNTHESIS OF THIOLS, THIOETHERS, THIOACETALS AND S-ALKYL THIOCARBOXYLIC ESTERS 

The softer electronic character of the thiolate and sulphide anions, compared with the hydroxide ion, results in their greater ability to form ion-pairs with quaternary ammonium cations and, hence, their more efficient transfer into organic solvents. 

The preparation of thiols by nucleophilic displacement reactions using aqueous potassium or sodium hydrogen sulphide under catalytic conditions is not particularly effective. A limited number of simple alkane thiols have been obtained under mild and neutral conditions in moderate yield (70-80%) from the reaction of bis(n-butyltin) sulphide with bromoalkanes in the presence of a ca. twofold amount of tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride [1], but there has been no exploitation of this procedure. 

The bromoalkane (2.06 mmol) is added slowly to (n-Bu,Sn)2S (l. 33 g, 2.18 mmol), TBA-F.3H20 (l. 43 g, 4.52 mmol) and H20 (0.3 ml) in MeCN (12 ml) and the mixture is stirred at 20 °C for ca. 20 h. The solvent is evaporated, EtOAc (25 ml) is added to the residue, and the mixture is filtered through silica using EtOAc as an eluent. Flash chromatography of the isolated crude product yields the thiol (e.g. n-C8HI7SH, 71% PhCH2CH2SH, 82%). 

Selected examples of the reaction of halopropenes and halopropynes with sodium sulphide 

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The general reaction mechanism has been shown to involve typical steps for cross-coupling [98, 113]. Oxidative addition of an aryl halide generates a Pd(II) species that undergoes transmetalation to form a Pd(II)-thiolate. C-S reductive elimination provides the aryl sulfide and regenerates the Pd(0) catalyst. More recently, Hartwig reported a detailed mechanistic analysis of the Pd/Josiphos system derived from different Pd precursors. The dominant Pd species were found to be off the catalytic cycle, which accounted for differences in rates between stoichiometric and catalytic reactions [114]. Thioketones are also effective thiolate nucleophiles for C-S bond formation. The reaction involves tandem Pd-catalyzed thioenolate alkylation, followed by 5-arylation (8) [102]. Presumably, the arylation process proceeds by a similar mechanism to related Pd-catalyzed transformations. 

Oxidative Ring Closure Reactions 4.03.4.1.1 C—N bond formation N—N bond formation C—S bond formation N—S bond formation O—C bond formation O—N bond formation S—S, S—Se and Se—Se bond formation Electrophilic Ring Closures via Acylium Ions and Related Intermediates Ring Closures via Intramolecular Alkylations... 

The formation of C-O, C-S, C-N and C-C bonds by nucleophilic substitution is described in subsequent chapters. In this section the synthesis of haloalkanes by halogen-halogen exchange and related reactions are presented. 

Silyl-substituted diazoketones 29 cycloadd with aryl isocyanates to form 1,2,3-triazoles 194 (252) (Scheme 8.44). This reaction, which resembles the formation of 5-hydroxy-l,2,3-triazoles 190 in Scheme 8.43, has no analogy with other diazocarbonyl compounds. The beneficial effect of the silyl group in 29 can be seen from the fact that related diazomethyl-ketones do not react with phenyl isocyanate at 70 °C (252). Although the exact mechanistic details are unknown, one can speculate that the 2-siloxy-1-diazo-1-alkene isomer 30 [rather than 29 (see Section 8.1)] is involved in the cycloaddition step. With acyl isocyanates, diazoketones 29 cycloadd to give 5-acylamino-l,2,3-thiadiazoles 195 by addition across the C=S bond (252), in analogy with the behavior of diazomethyl-ketones and diazoacetates (5). 

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