An aquatic pseudo-four-component reaction for the synthesis of highly substituted thiophenes

Abstract

A novel and simple procedure was developed for the construction of fully substituted thiophenes. A series of α-haloacetophenone derivatives were converted into fully substituted thiophenes by treatment with sodium sulfide in the presence of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene and sodium iodide in aqueous ethanol under aerobic conditions. A mechanism for the reaction is proposed. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart - New York.