Copper(I)-Catalyzed Tandem One-Pot Synthesis of 2-Arylthiobenzothiazoles and 2-Arylthiobenzoxazoles in Water.

An efficient tandem process for the preparation of 2-arylthiobenzothiazoles has been developed. By condensation of 2-aminobenzenethiol with tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMTD), 2-mercaptobenzothiazoles was in situ generated, which susequently underwent coupling with iodobenzenes to give the desired 2-arylthiobenzothiazoles fluently in a one-pot manner. This method can also be used for the synthesis of 2-arylthiobenzoxazoles. Inexpensive metal catalyst and ligand, mild reaction temperature, and water as solvent make this protocol practically valuable and useful in organic synthesis.