A mild, scalable iodine-mediated oxidative cross-coupling reaction of arylhydrazines
and thiols for construction of thioethers (sulfides) in the absence of any transition
metals or photocatalysts is disclosed. A variety of unsymmetrical diaryl sulfides
with broad substrate scope both on thiols and hydrazines were synthesized in high
yields in water at room temperature. Furthermore, to demonstrate the utility of the
protocol, the above C–S bond formation was applied in the synthesis of the key structure
of vortioxetine as an antidepressant drug. The gram-scale outcome also added to the
potential utility of this protocol.
Key words
catalysis - iodine - metal-free - thioethers - vortioxetine
