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Methanesulfonic anhydride-promoted sustainable synthesis of thioesters from feedstock acids and thiols

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Abstract

An unprecedented metal-, halogen- and solvent-free, MSAA-promoted S-carbonylation of thiols with feedstock acids has been developed. This new transformation provides an efficient and atom-economic strategy for the synthesis of thioesters in a single operation from readily available and inexpensive starting materials. The reaction avoids the use of expensive and hazardous coupling reagents, bases and generates water as the only by-product, thus making this chemical synthetic process more viable, environment-friendly and contributing towards sustainable chemistry.

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An efficient and novel strategy was established for dehydrative nucleophilic substitution reaction of feedstock acids with thiols, which systematically unravels the feasibility and practicality of thioester formation in a step- and atom-economical fashion.

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P.S. thanks UGC (New Delhi) for a research fellowship.

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Correspondence to Rama Krishna Peddinti.

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Singh, P., Peddinti, R.K. Methanesulfonic anhydride-promoted sustainable synthesis of thioesters from feedstock acids and thiols. J Chem Sci 133, 20 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12039-020-01871-5

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