Fe-Catalyzed Synthesis of Sulfide-Based Aromatic Primary Amines in Water Promoted by Sodium-Ascorbate

A practical method for Fe-catalyzed and sodium-ascorbate-promoted synthesis of sulfide-based aromatic primary amines in water from nitroaryl fluorides and thiols has been established. This protocol enables the construction of C-S bonds and the reduction of nitro groups in situ. The remarkable features of this one-pot two-step reaction in water include the direct usage of both a less toxic iron catalyst and naturally occurring sodium-ascorbate as the additive, mostly decent to excellent yields, good functional group tolerance as well as the ability to be scaled up.