Cu-Catalyzed Oxidative Thioesterification of Aroylhydrazides with Disulfides
Shimin Xie, Lebin Su, Min Mo, Wang Zhou, Yongbo Zhou, Jianyu Dong
Abstract
An alternative thioesterification reaction via copper-catalyzed oxidative coupling of readily available aroylhydrazides with disulfides is developed, in which oxidative expulsion of N2 overcomes the activation barrier between the carboxylic acid derivatives and the products. The reaction produces various thioesters in good to excellent yields with good functional group tolerance. In the reaction, stable and easily available aroylhydrazides are used as acyl sources and the relatively odorless disulfides are used as S sources. Mechanistic investigations demonstrate that the reaction of copper salt and oxidant (NH4)2S2O8 allows for achievement of tandem processes, including deprotonation, free-radical-mediated denitrogenation, and C–S bond formation.