TfOH-catalyzed cyclization/rearrangement of alkynyl aryl sulfoxides for metal-free synthesis of six- to nine-membered sulfur-containing heterocycles

Abstract

We herein report a TfOH-catalyzed cyclization/rearrangement of alkynyl aryl sulfoxides via intramolecular oxygen transfer of sulfoxides to alkynes as a metal-free synthetic approach to access medium-sized sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds, which are difficult to prepare due to ring strain and entropic factors.