Metal- and Phosphine-Free Electrophilic Vicinal Chloro-alkylthiolation and Trifluoromethylthiolation of Indoles using Sodium Sulfinate in the Presence of Triphosgene

Efficient chloro-alkylthiolation and trifluoromethylthiolation of indole derivatives were developed. Triphosgene was used as a reducing agent for the first time to convert sodium sulfinate to highly active electrophilic intermediates (CH3SCl and CF3SOCl). This strategy involves the use of cheap and readily available reagents and has broad substrate scope.