Direct Thiolation of the C(sp3)-H Bond Adjacent to Heteroatoms with Thiols under Alkaline Conditions

Herein, an operationally facile method for the construction of C-S bond through direct functionalization of C (sp(3))-H bond adja-cent to heteroatoms with thiols has been developed under weakly alkaline conditions. This methodology provides a convenient and efficient strategy to synthesize various aryl thioethers using a cheap and common solvent and base in moderate to good yields. The mechanistic studies indicate that a radical process is possibly involved and the sulfur radical (RS center dot) may be a reactive species during the transformations.