Rhodium(ii)-catalyzed direct sulfenylation of diazooxindoles with disulfides

Abstract

Rhodium(II)-catalyzed direct sulfenylation of diazooxindoles using disulfides as the sulfenylating agent was developed via intermolecular C–S bond formation. This novel protocol provides a rapid synthetic route to 3-alkylthiooxindoles, 3,3-dialkylthiooxindoles, or 3,3-diarylthiooxindoles in moderate to good yield. The transformation is proposed to proceed through sulfur ylide formation followed by S–S bond cleavage and rearrangement.