Electrooxidation-induced selective cleavage of C–N bonds of tertiary amines to access thioureas, selenoureas, and 2-aminated benzoselenazoles

Abstract

A metal-free, operationally simple, and scalable electrooxidation-induced selective cleavage of C–N bonds of tertiary amines to access asymmetric thiourea, selenourea, and 2-aminated benzoselenazole derivatives is reported. More than 50 examples were reported and were obtained in greater than 96% yield. Importantly, the readily accessible compounds 10c (12.6%, 10.36%) and 24c (6.45% ± 1.40) possess promising anticancer activity against the mouse breast cancer cell line and the human lung adenocarcinoma cancer cell line (A549), reiterating the importance of the developed methodology.