European Journal of Organic Chemistry 2018-03-30

Iron‐Catalyzed Sulfur‐Promoted Decyanative Redox Condensation of o‐Nitrophenols and Arylacetonitriles: An Unprecedented Route to 2‐Arylbenzoxazoles

Thanh Binh Nguyen; Jerome Cheung Lung

Index: 10.1002/ejoc.201701607

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Abstract

Elemental sulfur in the presence of a catalytic amount of FeCl2·4H2O was found to be highly efficient for the promotion of decyanative redox condensation reactions of o‐nitrophenols with arylacetonitriles, to give a wide range of 2‐arylbenzoxazoles. The utility of elemental sulfur was highlighted by its role as cyanide scavenger and external reducing agent.