Synthesis and applications of the sulfur containing analogues of cyclic carbonates

Cyclic thiocarbonates are the sulfur containing analogues of the well-studied cyclic carbonates and are relatively poorly explored despite their potential applications and intriguing reactivities. To date, application of these organosulfur compounds has included their use as monomers for polythiocarbonate synthesis (their ring-opening is more readily achieved and more selective than the corresponding cyclic carbonates) and as reactive intermediates for the preparation of a range of higher-value sulfur containing compounds. Despite these uses, the synthesis of these compounds is far less explored and developed than their non-sulfur analogues. Here, we provide an overview of the state-of-the-art, both recent and historical, for the synthesis of a range of cyclic mono-, di- and tri-thiocarbonates (both five and six-membered rings), with selected examples of their reported applications also highlighted.