Iodine-catalyzed direct C–H thiolation of imidazo[1,5-a]quinolines for the synthesis of 3-sulfenylimidazo[1,5-a]quinolines?

Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry Pub Date: 2017-01-17 DOI: 10.1039/C6OB02736A

Abstract

An iodine-catalyzed regioselective sulfenylation of imidazo[1,5-a]quinolines was developed under metal- and oxidant-free reaction conditions. Using disulfides or thiophenols as sulfenylating agents, 3-sulfenylimidazo[1,5-a]quinoline derivatives were obtained in good to excellent yields with broad functional group tolerance. A multi-component reaction to generate 1-sulfenylated imidazo[1,5-a]pyridines is also described. Preliminary biological evaluation showed that some of the 3-sulfenylated imidazo[1,5-a]quinolines had significant anticancer activity.

Graphical abstract: Iodine-catalyzed direct C–H thiolation of imidazo[1,5-a]quinolines for the synthesis of 3-sulfenylimidazo[1,5-a]quinolines
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