Sulfur-controlled and rhodium-catalyzed formal (3 + 3) transannulation of thioacyl carbenes with alk-2-enals and mechanistic insights

A rhodium-catalyzed denitrogenative formal (3 + 3) transannulation of 1,2,3-thiadiazoles with alk-2-enals is achieved, producing 2,3-dihydrothiopyran-4-ones in moderate to excellent yields. An inverse KIE of 0.49 is obtained, suggesting the reversibility of the oxidative addition of thioacyl Rh(I) carbenes to alk-2-enals. The late-stage structural modifications of steroid compounds are realized. Moreover, our studies show that thioacyl carbenes have different reactivities to those of α-oxo and α-imino carbenes, and highlight the importance of heteroatoms in deciding the reactivities of heterovinyl carbenes.