Thiophenols elimination from thioacetals, copper

Part C of the present procedure illustrates a mild method for effecting the elimination of thiophenol from thioacetals and thioketals under essentially neutral conditions. The reaction of simple thioacetals and thioketals with bis[copper(I) trifluoro-methanesulfonate] benzene complex in benzene-tetrahydrofuran at room temperature affords vinyl sulfides in high yield (Table I). The reaction presumably occurs by coordination of the thiophilic copper(I) reagent with sulfur, heterolysis to a phenylthio-stabilized... 

Elimination of Thiophenol from Thioacetals. Conversion of thioacetals to vinyl sulfides is accomplished under exceptionally mild conditions by treatment with (CuOTOa-CeHe (eq 45). The reaction involves an a-phenylthio carbocation intermediate. Three factors contribute to the effectiveness of this synthetic method the Lewis acidity of a copperfT) cation that is unencumbered by a strongly coordinated counter anion, the solubility of the copper(I) triflate-benzene complex, and the insolubility of CuSPh in the reaction mixture. An analogous elimination reaction provides an effective route to phenylthio enol ethers from ketones (eq 46). ... 

---