One-pot synthesis of amine-substituted aryl sulfides and benzo[b]thiophene derivatives.

A series of amine-substituted aryl sulfides have been synthesized from nitroaryl halides via a simple one-pot procedure involving metal-free C-S cross-coupling and in situ nitro group reduction. Various nitroaryl halides were reacted with thiols in recyclable poly(ethylene glycol) to afford the amine-substituted aryl sulfides in high yield. Additionally, the cross-coupling reactions of nitro- and aldehyde-substituted aryl halides with benzyl thiols under the same reaction conditions were demonstrated to afford benzothiazole and phenylbenzo[b]thiophene derivatives.