Hemi thioacetal

Carbonyl compounds react with thiols, RSH, to form hemi-thioacetals and thioacetals, rather more readily than with ROH this reflects the greater nucleophilicity of sulphur compared with similarly situated oxygen. Thioacetals offer, with acetals, differential protection for the C=0 group as they are relatively stable to dilute acid they may, however, be decomposed readily by H20/HgCl2/CdC03. It is possible, using a thioacetal, to reverse the polarity of the carbonyl carbon atom in an aldehyde thereby converting this initially electrophilic centre into a nucleophilic one in the anion (31) ... 

Cysteine proteases play key roles in the pathogenesis of a variety of disease states including osteoporosis [49], muscular dystrophy [50] and several CNS-related disorders [51]. A 100-member library of a-ketoamides 50 was generated via a two-step one-pot synthesis, in which the initial condensation was followed by a pyridinium dichromate (PDC) oxidation (Scheme 11.9). Yields were respectable, ranging from 53 to 75%. Note that a-ketoamides are potential reversible inhibitors with the ability to form hemi-thioacetals with the active thiol of cysteine residues. 

The reaction occurs more easily than the co-oxidation with olefins. Benzenethiol and phenylacetylene react at reasonable rates even at temperatures below — 70°C under u.v. irradiation. At this temperature a peroxidic compound which decomposes above — 10°C to give the hemi-thioacetal is formed. 

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