Metal- and Solvent-Free Cascade Reaction for the Synthesis of Amino Pyrazole Thioether Derivatives.

We developed an iodine-mediated cascade strategy to synthesize amino pyrazole thioether derivatives (11) in the absence of metals as well as solvents. The present approach provides amino pyrazole thioethers in a highly selective manner without the formation of diaryl sulfide and sulfenyl-enaminonitrile with broad substrate scope. The reactivity of nine sulfenylation sources and synthetic applications of the synthesized compounds have been demonstrated. Thus, the overall iodine-mediated multicomponent reaction (MCR) is more economically feasible, efficient, and environmentally benign.