Regioselective copper-catalyzed thiolation of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines: an efficient C-H functionalization strategy for C-S bond formation

摘要

A highly regioselective C-H/S-H cross-coupling of imidazo[1,2-a] pyridines with thiols has been developed using molecular oxygen to form the C-3 sulfenated products in the presence of a copper catalyst. It represents a simple process for the formation of C-S bonds to prepare thioether-decorated imidazo[1,2-a] pyridines. The reaction proceeds smoothly with a broad range of substrates to give imidazo [1,2-a] pyridines in good yields.