Cs₂ CO₃ -Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidative Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling of Thiols with Phosphonates and Arenes

An efficient Cs₂ CO₃ -catalyzed oxidative coupling of thiols with phosphonates and arenes that uses molecular oxygen as the oxidant is described. These reactions provide not only a novel alkali metal salt catalyzed aerobic oxidation, but also an efficient approach to thiophosphates and sulfenylarenes, which are ubiquitously found in pharmaceuticals and pesticides. The reaction proceeds under simple and mild reaction conditions, tolerates a wide range of functional groups, and is applicable to the late-stage synthesis and modification of bioactive molecules.