The 50 most-cited articles in The Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2016

In recent years, photoredox catalysis has come to the forefront in organic chemistry as a powerful strategy for the activation of small molecules. In a general sense, these approaches rely on the ability of metal complexes and organic dyes to convert visible light into chemical energy by engaging in single-electron transfer with organic substrates, thereby generating reactive intermediates. In this Perspective, we highlight the unique ability of photoredox catalysis to expedite the development of completely new reaction mechanisms, with particular emphasis placed on multicatalytic strategies that enable the construction of challenging carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds.

The emergence of visible light photoredox catalysis has enabled the productive use of lower energy radiation, leading to highly selective reaction platforms. Polypyridyl complexes of iridium and ruthenium have served as popular photocatalysts in recent years due to their long excited state lifetimes and useful redox windows, leading to the development of diverse photoredox-catalyzed transformations. The low abundances of Ir and Ru in the earth's crust and, hence, cost make these catalysts nonsustainable and have limited their application in industrial-scale manufacturing. Herein, we report a series of novel acridinium salts as alternatives to iridium photoredox catalysts and show their comparability to the ubiquitous [Ir(dF-CF3-ppy)2(dtbpy)](PF6).

Continuous variation method, known as Job plot, is the most commonly applied method for the determination of stoichiometry of complex chemical entities for over 100 years. Although, the method was proven successful in the analysis of very stable metal-ligand complexes, we demonstrate that its use in supramolecular chemistry often provides false results. We support this statement with multiple simulations as well as cases studies of several real host-guest systems. We propose an alternative, general method relying on the analysis of residual distribution in titration data fitting. The latter method is more convenient compared to the Job plot and unlike it gives correct results in all real cases studied.

Radical difunctionalizations of alkenes constitute an efficient method for the construction of complex organic molecules. This synopsis focuses on visible-light catalysis, a recent and very promising technological refinement of this class of transformations. Examples taken from the literature illustrate the use of a variety of (metallic or nonmetallic) systems, which allow us to leverage the energy of readily available visible-light radiation to efficiently create some of the most commonly looked for types of bonds (C-X, C-O, C-N, and C-C) under mild conditions and starting from unsaturated substrates.

ortho-Quinone methides have emerged recently as useful electrophiles in metal-free catalysis. New strategies to access these species in situ that are compatible with simultaneous nucleophile generation have provided a suite of innovative and selective transformations accessing heterocycles for use in organic synthesis.

Amides are unquestionably one of the most important functional groups in organic chemistry because of their presence in numerous interesting molecules such as peptides, pharmaceutical agents, naturally occurring molecules, proteins and alkaloids, among others. This synopsis surveys the diverse recent approaches to amide synthesis from nonactivated carboxylic acids and derivatives as well as noncarboxylic compounds, highlighting the most innovative methodologies and those that are more eco-friendly compared to traditional methods while focusing on recent developments during the past two years.

A photocatalytic decarboxylative/defluorinative reaction of α-trifluoromethyl alkenes with α-keto acids and α-amino acids has been developed. The reaction occurs at room temperature under visible light irradiation, affording various γ,γ-difluoroallylic ketones and 1,1-difluorohomoallyl amines in good yields. The synthetic applications of the resulting functionalized gem-difluoroalkenes were also described.

The synthesis of heterocycles is arguably one of the oldest and at the same time one of the youngest disciplines of organic chemistry. Groundbreaking principles to form heterocycles, mainly by condensation reactions, were recognized in the beginning of the 19th century, and many of the classical reactions discovered at that time are still of great value today. In the 21st century, the wealth of synthetic methodology toward heterocycles is overwhelming, and catalysis, in particular, as one of the cornerstones of green and sustainable chemistry has contributed in a major way to these developments. This perspective tries the impossible by discussing some recent advances in the construction of heterocycles, focusing on catalytic methodology. We are aware that we do not come close to giving adequate credit to the great creativity of chemists in the field.

The electrophilic activation of amides, especially by the action of trifluoromethanesulfonic (triflic) anhydride, enables the formation of highly electrophilic and reactive intermediates, lending themselves to diverse reaction pathways. This synopsis sets out to highlight recent advances in the field of amide activation, focused on the use of triflic anhydride, and the myriad of transformations that can ensue upon addition of several classes of electrophiles to the intermittently generated high energy intermediates.

The super electrophilicity of a shelf-stable, easily prepared trifluoromethylthiolating reagent N-trifluoromethylthio-dibenzenesulfonimide 7 was demonstrated. Consistent with the theoretical prediction, 7 exhibits reactivity remarkably higher than that of other known electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagents. In the absence of any additive, 7 reacted with a wide range of electron-rich arenes and activated heteroarenes under mild conditions. Likewise, reactions of 7 with styrene derivatives can be fine-tuned by simply changing the reaction solvents to generate trifluoromethylthiolated styrenes or oxo-trifluoromethylthio or amino-trifluoromethylthio difunctionalized compounds in high yields.

Additions of cysteine thiols to Michael acceptors underpin the mechanism of action of several covalent drugs (e.g., afatinib, osimertinib, ibrutinib, neratinib, and CC-292). Reversible Michael acceptors have been reported in which an additional electron-withdrawing group was added at the α-carbon of a Michael acceptor. We have performed density functional theory calculations to determine why thiol additions to these Michael acceptors are reversible. The α-EWG group stabilizes the anionic transition state and intermediate of the Michael addition, but less intuitively, it destabilizes the neutral adduct. This makes the reverse reaction (elimination) both faster and more thermodynamically favorable. For thiol addition to be reversible, the Michael acceptor must also contain a suitable substituent on the β-carbon, such as an aryl or branched alkyl group. Computations explain how these structural elements contribute to reversibility and the ability to tune the binding affinities and the residence times of covalent inhibitors.

The effect of liquid-assisted grinding has been studied using mechanical Suzuki–Miyaura reaction of aryl chlorides as the model reaction. Catalytic systems of Davephos and PCy 3 are tested respectively showing strong influences from different liquids. Unexpected improvement of yield over 55% is observed using alcohols as additives, which is explained by in situ formed alkoxides and their participation in oxidative addition. Further expansion of substrates using Pd(OAc) 2 /PCy 3 /MeOH system gives desired products in good to high yields.

We report the development of a method for room-temperature C-H hydroxymethylation of heteroarenes. A key enabling advance in this work was achieved by implementing visible light photoredox catalysis that proved to be applicable to many classes of heteroarenes and tolerant of diverse functional groups found in druglike molecules.

Although aldol condensation is one of the most important organic reactions, capable of forming new C-C bonds, its mechanism has never been fully established. We now conclude that the rate-limiting step in the base-catalyzed aldol condensation of benzaldehydes with acetophenones, to produce chalcones, is the final loss of hydroxide and formation of the C═C bond. This conclusion is based on a study of the partitioning ratios of the intermediate ketols and on the solvent kinetic isotope effects, whereby the condensations are faster in D2O than in H2O, regardless of substitution.

A convenient, visible light induced oxidifluoromethylation of styrenes was developed. This protocol employs the readily prepared difluoromethyltriphenylphosphonium bromide as the difluoromethylating reagent and alcohols/water as the nucleophiles, affording difluoromethyl(CF2H)-containing alcohols and ethers in moderate to excellent yields.

Iridium- and ruthenium-free approaches to protected allylic amines and alkyl nitriles under photoredox conditions are reported. An inexpensive organic dye, eosin Y, catalyzes coupling of Boc-protected potassium α-aminomethyltrifluoroborates with a variety of substituted alkenyl sulfones through an α-aminomethyl radical addition-elimination pathway. Allylic and homoallylic amines were formed in moderate yields with high E/Z selectivity. The mechanistic approach was extended using tosyl cyanide as a radical trap, enabling the conversion of alkyltrifluoroborates to nitriles via a Fukuzumi acridinium-catalyzed process.

A novel DBU-mediated stereoselective spirocyclopropanation of para-quinone methides with sulfonium salts has been developed on the basis of the mode involving a 1,6-conjugate addition/intramolecular dearomatizing cyclization cascade. This reaction provides a mild and effective method for the assembly of synthetically and structurally interesting spirocyclopropanyl para-dienones. The feasibility for the enantioselective access to such functionalized para-dienones has also been explored by using the axially chiral sulfonium salt. Importantly, the regioselective ring openings of the related spirocyclopropanyl para-dienones have been achieved divergently.

Amide N-C(O) bonds are generally unreactive in cross-coupling reactions employing low-valent transition metals due to nN → π*C═O resonance. Herein we demonstrate that N-acyl-tert-butyl-carbamates (Boc) and N-acyl-tosylamides (Ts), two classes of acyclic amides that have recently enabled the development of elusive amide bond N-C cross-coupling reactions with organometallic reagents, are intrinsically twisted around the N-C(O) axis. The data have important implications for the design of new amide cross-coupling reactions with the N-C(O) amide bond cleavage as a key step.

Despite the number of methods available for dehalogenation and carbon-carbon bond formation using aryl halides, strategies that provide chemoselectivity for systems bearing multiple carbon-halogen bonds are still needed. Herein, we report the ability to tune the reduction potential of metal-free phenothiazine-based photoredox catalysts and demonstrate the application of these catalysts for chemoselective carbon-halogen bond activation to achieve C-C cross-coupling reactions as well as reductive dehalogenations. This procedure works both for conjugated polyhalides as well as unconjugated substrates. We further illustrate the usefulness of this protocol by intramolecular cyclization of a pyrrole substrate, an advanced building block for a family of natural products known to exhibit biological activity.

The Chan-Evans-Lam reaction is a valuable C-N bond forming process. However, aryl boronic acid pinacol (BPin) ester reagents can be difficult coupling partners that often deliver low yields, in particular in reactions with aryl amines. Herein, we report effective reaction conditions for the Chan-Evans-Lam amination of aryl BPin with alkyl and aryl amines. A mixed MeCN/EtOH solvent system was found to enable effective C-N bond formation using aryl amines while EtOH is not required for the coupling of alkyl amines.

Diaryliodonium salts have recently attracted significant attention as metal-free-arylation reagents in organic synthesis, and efficient access to these salts is critical for advancement of their use in reaction discovery and development. The trimethoxybenzene-derived auxiliary is a promising component of unsymmetrical variants, yet access remains limited. Here, a one-pot synthesis of aryl(2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl)iodonium salts from aryl iodides, m-CPBA, p-toluenesulfonic acid, and trimethoxybenzene is described. Optimization of the reaction conditions for this one-pot synthesis was enabled by the method of multivariate analysis. The reaction is fast (<1 h), provides a high yield of product (>85% average), and has broad substrate scope (>25 examples) including elaborate aryl iodides. The utility of these reagents is demonstrated in moderate to high yielding arylation reactions with C-, N-, O-, and S-nucleophiles including the synthesis of a liquid crystal molecule.

Ruthenium-catalyzed hydroboration of nitriles and imines is attained using pinacolborane with unprecedented catalytic efficiency. Chemoselective hydroboration of nitriles over esters is also demonstrated. A simple [Ru( p -cymene)Cl 2 ] 2 complex ( 1 ) is used as a catalyst precursor, which upon reaction with pinacolborane in situ generates the monohydrido-bridged complex [{(η 6 - p -cymene)RuCl} 2 (μ-H-μ-Cl)] 2 . Further oxidative addition of pinacolborane to intermediate 2 leading to the formation of mononuclear ruthenium hydride species is suggested. Mass spectral analysis of the reaction mixture and independent experiments with phosphine-ligated ruthenium complexes indicated the involvement of mononuclear ruthenium intermediates in the catalytic cycle. Consecutive intramolecular 1,3-hydride transfers from the ruthenium center to coordinated nitrile and boronate imine ligands, leading to the reduction and resulting in the formation of diboronate amines, are proposed as a plausible reaction mechanism.

A new and efficient copper-catalyzed C3 aryl- and heteroarylselenation of indoles employing selenium powder has been developed. The advantages of this chemistry involve the use of cheap selenating reagents, tolerance of a variety of functional groups, and practicality. In addition, this protocol has been further elaborated in an intramolecular phenylselenation of a (hetero) aryl C-H bond to construct an important motif of benzoselenopheno[3,2-b]indole. A preliminary mechanism study suggests that the reaction starts with a Ullman-type selenation between aryl iodides and selenium, followed by an oxidative cross-coupling with indole. The utility of this method has been demonstrated in an efficient gram-scale synthesis and an application to the synthesis of tubulin polymerization inhibitor.

The rhodium(III)-catalyzed redox-neutral coupling reaction of N-acyl ketimines generated in situ from 3-hydroxyisoindolinones with various activated olefins is described. This approach leads to the synthesis of bioactive spiroisoindolinone derivatives in moderate to high yields. In the case of internal olefins such as maleimides, maleates, fumarates, and cinnamates, spiroindanes were obtained by the [3 + 2] annulations reaction. In sharp contrast, acrylates and quinones displayed the β-H elimination followed by Prins-type cyclization furnishing spiroindenes. The synthetic compounds were evaluated for in vitro anticancer activity against androgen-sensitive human prostate adenocarcinoma cells (LNCaP), human prostate adenocarcinoma cells (DU145), human endometrial adenocarcinoma cells (Ishikawa), human breast cancer cell (MCF-7), and triple negative human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231). Notably, quinone-containing spiroindenes displayed potent anticancer activity about 2- to 3-fold stronger than that of anticancer agent doxorubicin.

A variety of (E)-vinyl sulfones were constructed directly from cinnamic acids and sodium sulfinates with high regioselectivity at room temperature by virtue of an electrocatalytic oxidation. A radical intermediate was detected, and the corresponding mechanism was investigated.

An efficient electrochemical protocol for the synthesis of α-amino ketones via the oxidative cross-dehydrogenative coupling of ketones and secondary amines has been developed. The electrochemistry performs in a simple undivided cell using NH 4 I as a redox catalyst and a cheap graphite plate as electrodes under constant current conditions. Gram-scale reaction demonstrates the practicality of the protocol. The reaction is proposed to procced through an initial α-iodination of ketone, followed by a nucleophilic substitution of amines.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a family of diverse unconjugated glycans that exist in human milk as one of the major components. Characterization, quantification, and biofunctional studies of HMOs remain a great challenge due to their diversity and complexity. The accessibility of a homogeneous HMO library is essential to solve these issues which have beset academia for several decades. In this study, an efficient chemoenzymatic strategy, namely core synthesis/enzymatic extension (CSEE), for rapid production of diverse HMOs was reported. On the basis of 3 versatile building blocks, 3 core structures were chemically synthesized via consistent use of oligosaccharyl thioether and oligosaccharyl bromide as glycosylation donors in a convergent fragment coupling strategy. Each of these core structures was then extended to up to 11 HMOs by 4 robust glycosyltransferases. A library of 31 HMOs were chemoenzymatically synthesized and characterized by MS and NMR. CSEE indeed provides a practical approach to harvest structurally defined HMOs for various applications.

A two-step, on-water procedure for the synthesis of ethenesulfonyl fluoride (ESF) is described. 2-Chloroethanesulfonyl fluoride is made via a neat reaction with an aqueous, nearly saturated potassium bifluoride solution from readily available 2-chloroethanesulfonyl chloride. The subsequent dehydrochlorination of 2-chloroethanesulfonyl fluoride proceeds neatly with magnesium oxide as the base in an aqueous suspension to give ESF. This recipe allows the preparation of ESF in 98% yield on a kilogram scale.

Spiropyrans and spirooxazines represent an important class of photochromic compounds with a wide variety of applications. In order to effectively utilize and design these photoswitches it is desirable to understand how the substituents affect photochromic properties, and how the different structural motifs compare under identical conditions. In this work a small library of photoswitches was synthesized in order to comparatively evaluate the effect of substituent modifications and structure on photochromism. The library was designed to modify positions that were believed to have the greatest effect on C-O bond lability and therefore the photochromic properties. Herein we report a comparative analysis of the UV and visible light responses of 30 spiropyrans, spiroindolinonaphthopyrans, and spirooxazines. The influence of gadolinium(III) binding was also investigated on the library of compounds to determine its effect on photoswitching. Both assays demonstrated different trends in substituent and structural requirements for optimal photochromism.

An efficient and convenient palladium-catalyzed C-H bond oxidative sulfenylation of indoles and related electron-rich heteroarenes with aryl boronic acids and elemental sulfur has been described. This procedure provides a useful and direct approach for the assembly of a wide range of structurally diverse 3-sulfenylheteroarenes with moderate to excellent yields from simple and readily available starting materials. Moreover, this synthetic protocol is suitable for N-protected and unprotected indoles. Notably, the construction of two C-S bonds in one step was also achieved in this transformation.

A visible light mediated highly selective benzylic C-H bond functionalization for intermolecular C-N and C-O bond formation is reported. This cross-dehydrogenative coupling reaction demonstrates a straightforward protocol for incorporating the heteroaromatics to the benzylic position. Benzylic oxidation of various alkyl aryls to corresponding carbonyl compounds has also been reported.

An enantioselective [4 + 2] cycloaddition of o-hydroxylstyrenes with azlactones has been established by merging chiral Brønsted acid (chiral phosphoric acid) and base (chiral guanidine) catalysis, which constructed a biologically important dihydrocoumarin scaffold in an efficient and enantioselective style (up to 99% yield, 96:4 er). This approach has not only realized the successful application of o-hydroxylstyrenes as oxa-diene precursors in catalytic asymmetric cycloadditions but also established a new cooperative catalytic system of chiral phosphoric acid and chiral guanidine.

Photochemical reactions have become an important tool for organic chemists. Visible (solar) light can be conveniently adopted, however, only when using colored organic compounds or in photocatalyzed processes induced by visible light absorbing photocatalysts. Herein we demonstrate that a photolabile, colored moiety could be incorporated in a colorless organic compound with the aim of generating highly reactive intermediates upon exposure to visible (solar) light. Arylazo sulfones, colored thermally stable derivatives of aryl diazonium salts, were used as valuable substrates for the photoinduced metal-free synthesis of (hetero)biaryls with no need of a (photo)catalyst or of other additives to promote the reaction. Noteworthy, selective generation of aryl radicals and aryl cations can be attained at will by varying the irradiation conditions (visible light for the former and UVA light for the latter).

The weakly coordinating ketone group directed C-H functionalizations of chromones, 1,4-naphthoquinones, and xanthones with various maleimides under rhodium(III) catalysis are described. These protocols efficiently provide a range of succinimide-containing chromones, naphthoquinones, and xanthones with excellent site selectivity and functional group compatibility. All synthetic compounds were screened for in vitro anticancer activity against human breast adenocarcinoma cell lines (MCF-7). In particular, compounds 7aa and 7ca with a naphthoquinone scaffold were found to be highly cytotoxic, with an activity competitive with anticancer agent doxorubicin.

Trifluoromethylseleno substituent (CF3Se) is an emerging group, but its direct introduction onto organic molecules is still quite limited and mainly restricted to nucleophilic methods. Herein, we describe a new approach to easily and safely perform electrophilic trifluoromethylselenolation starting from a simple and easily accessible reagent, namely, benzyltrifluoromethyl selenide. This strategy can be generalized to various fluoroalkylselanyl groups, even functionalized ones.

Carbonylation of o-arylanilines utilizing CO2 as a carbonyl source for the synthesis of important phenanthridinones with a free (NH)-lactam motif has been described under metal-free condition. A range of o-arylanilines were transformed to the corresponding phenanthridinones in high yields.

A highly efficient and generally applicable iodine-catalyzed reaction of arylacetylenic acids and arylacetylenes with sodium sulfinates for the synthesis of arylacetylenic sulfones was developed. The methodology has the advantages of a metal-free strategy, easy to handle reagents, functional group tolerance, a wide range of arylacetylenic acids and arylacetylenes, and easy access to arylacetylenic sulfones.

Copper(I)-catalyzed 5-sulfonation of quinolines via bidentate-chelation assistance has been developed. The reaction is compatible with a wide range of quinoline substrates and arylsulfonyl chlorides. Experimental and theoretical (DFT) investigation implicated that a single-electron-transfer process is involved in this sulfonylation transformation.

A novel strategy based on phase transfer catalysis for the diastereoselective and enantioselective direct assembly of unsymmetric β,β-diaryl-α-amino acid esters via 1,6-conjugate addition of para-quinone methides and glycine derivatives is described. This protocol also provides an alternative route to the synthetically interesting functionalized chiral tetrahydroisoquinoline and its analogues.

Reported herein is a Rh-catalyzed redox-neutral annulation of primary benzamides with diazo compounds, representing an efficient and economic protocol to isoquinolinones. The procedure exhibited good functional group tolerability, scalability, and regioselectivity, obviating the need for oxidants, and only environmentally benign N2 and H2O were released. Further utilization of the method provided an alternative route to functionalized isoquinolines.

Transition-metal-catalyzed synthesis of N-heterocycles from oximes has been previously well established. In this paper, for the first time a metal-free protocol with the combinational employment of iodine and triethylamine has been demonstrated to be effective to trigger the oxime-based synthesis of pyridines with high chemo-selectivity and wide functional group tolerance. A broad range of functional pyridines were prepared in moderate to excellent yields. While neither iodine nor triethylamine could trigger this transformation, mechanistic experiments indicated a radical pathway for the reaction. The resultant 2-aryl-substituted pyridines have been proved to be versatile building blocks in a range of transition-metal-catalyzed C-H functionalization reactions.

A one-pot three-component reaction for the regioselective synthesis of thioarylated imidazoheterocycles from aryl halides and elemental sulfur using copper(I) iodide as a catalyst has been developed. Reactions proceed with high efficiency and afford thioarylated imidazoheterocycles in good yields with broad functional group tolerance.

A new method for the arylative cyclization of o-alkynylphenols with aryldiazonium salts via dual photoredox/gold catalysis is described. The reaction proceeds smoothly at room temperature in the absence of base and/or additives and offers an efficient approach to benzofuran derivatives. The scope of the transformation is wide, and the limitations are discussed. The reaction is proposed to proceed through a photoredox-promoted generation of a vinylgold(III) intermediate that undergoes reductive elimination to provide the heterocyclic coupling adduct.

An efficient protocol for the synthesis of sulfonamides via the electrochemical oxidative amination of sodium sulfinates has been developed. The chemistry proceeds in a simple undivided cell employing a substoichiometric amount of NH4I that serves both as a redox catalyst and a supporting electrolyte; in this manner additional conducting salt is not required. A wide range of substrates, including aliphatic or aromatic secondary and primary amines, as well as aqueous ammonia, proved to be compatible with the protocol. Scale-up was possible, thereby demonstrating the practicality of the approach. The electrolytic process avoids the utilization of external oxidants or corrosive molecular iodine and therefore represents an environmentally benign means by which to achieve the transformation.

A mild and rapid method for the iodination of arenes that utilizes silver(I) triflimide as a catalyst for activation of N-iodosuccinimide has been developed. The transformation was found to be general for a wide range of anisole, aniline, acetanilide, and phenol derivatives and allowed the late-stage iodination of biologically active compounds such as PIMBA, a SPECT imaging agent of breast cancer, and (-)-IBZM, a dopamine D2 receptor antagonist. The method was also modified for the radioiodination of arenes using a one-pot procedure involving the in situ generation of [(125)I]-N-iodosuccinimide followed by the silver(I)-catalyzed iodination.

A mild, one-pot, and environmentally friendly synthesis of amides from aldehydes and amines is described. Initially, a photoorganocatalytic reaction of aldehydes with di-isopropyl azodicarboxylate leads to an intermediate carbonyl imide, which can react with a variety of amines to afford the desired amides. The initial visible light-mediated activation of a variety of monosubstituted or disubstituted aldehydes is usually fast, occurring in a few hours. Following the photocatalytic reaction, addition of the primary amine at room temperature or the secondary amine at elevated temperatures leads to the corresponding amide from moderate to excellent yields without epimerization. This methodology was applied in the synthesis of Moclobemide, a drug against depression and social anxiety.

Azonia aromatic heterocycles are an important subclass of aza-heterocyles as they are the structural motif of relevant cationic alkaloids, and they have a wide range of potential applications such as bioactive compounds and organic materials. In this Synopsis, recent and novel approaches to their synthesis are surveyed, with particular emphasis on ring-closing metathesis reactions and annulation reactions based on C-H activation.

A new ruthenium catalytic system was developed for the construction of a C(sp(2))-Se bond with the assistance of directing groups. This protocol features mild reaction conditions, wider substrate scope, and convenient late-stage selenylation of bioactive molecules.

Palladium-catalyzed decarbonylative Heck reaction of amides by chemoselective N-C activation using N-acylsaccharins as coupling partners has been accomplished. These studies represent only the second example of amide-Heck reactions reported to date. A broad range of electronically diverse amide and olefin coupling partners is amenable to this transformation. Orthogonal site-selective Heck cross-couplings by C-Br/N-C cleavage and mechanistic studies are reported. This report introduces readily available, bench-stable, cheap, and benign N-acylsaccharins as aryl transfer reagents to access versatile aryl-metal intermediates.

A regioselective formation of C-S bonds has been achieved using a cross dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) protocol using iodine as a catalyst and dimethyl sulfoxide as an oxidant under green chemistry conditions. This strategy employs the reaction of easily available heterocyclic thiols or thiones with imidazoheterocycles. This protocol provides an efficient, mild, and inexpensive method for sulfenylation of imidazoheterocycles with a diverse range of heterocyclic thiols and heterocyclic thiones.