Competitive Pathways in the Reaction between Aromatic Azosulfides and Enolates in DMSO

Abstract The outcome of the reaction between azosulfides 1 and ketone enolates is influenced by the presence of suitable alkyl substituents on the aryl moiety of 1. The system can thus be conveniently exploited for the selective synthesis of different classes of derivatives of remarkable applicative interest, namely α-aryl ketones, α-arylhydrazono ketones, or indazoles.