Desulfurization of Thiols for Nucleophilic Substitution

Although the desulfurization of thiols is a topic of great importance and has received significant attention, most efforts have focused on the hydrodesulfurization of thiols. In this work, we describe the desulfurization of thiols for nucleophilic substitution. This process occurs rapidly, promoted by the Ph₃P/ICH₂CH₂I system, and can be extended to a wide range of nucleophiles. Notably, free amines can be employed as nucleophiles to synthesize various secondary and tertiary amines. This method tolerates a wide array of functional groups, including hydroxyl groups in amination reactions. Benzyl thiols are particularly reactive and can be completely converted at room temperature within 15 min. Although alkyl thiols show lower reactivity, they can also be converted smoothly at a reaction temperature of 70 °C overnight.