The Synthesis of Selenophene and Its Homologs

The structure and chemical properties, including syntheses, of selenophene are, in general, similar to those of thiophene. 

Yur ev37 showed that furan gives selenophene with hydrogen selenide in the presence of magnesium oxide at 450°C. 

Perveev et al.3S found that they could obtain alkyl, vinyl, and hydroxyalkyl selenophenes by the reaction of acetylenic a-epoxides, vinylacetylenic-a-epoxides, or hydroxy-a-epoxides with hydrogen selenide in the presence of barium hydroxide at 20°C. The yield of selenophene (30-80%) depends on the structure of the initial epoxide and decreases with the increase in the chain length or branching. 

Yur ev and Khmel nitskii39 developed a synthesis of selenophene and its homologs from the reaction of paraffins, olefins, or conjugated dienes with selenium dioxide in the presence of chromic oxide on alumina at 450°-500°C. 

Arbuzov and Kataev40 obtained selenophene and its methyl homologs from dienes (butadiene, piperylene, or hexadiene) and metallic selenium at 380°-420°C. 

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