Solvent-free, B(C6F5)(3)-Catalyzed S-H Insertion of Thiophenols and Thiols with alpha-Diazoesters

Described herein is a B(C6F5)(3)-catalyzed S-H insertion reaction of thiophenols and thiols with alpha-diazoesters to access valuable alpha-thioesters. With the established protocol, an array of alpha-thioester products are generated in moderate to good yields with broad scope and functional group tolerance. In addition, this reaction maintains its high efficiency on gram scale and the product can be easily transformed into other useful motifs. This reaction proceeds under solvent-free conditions at room temperature, and generally finishes in twenty minutes upon magnet stirring, which offers an expedient way for synthesis of thioether-containing compounds.