Tandem Thioetherification Reactions of 2-(2,2-Dibromovinyl)phenol Derivatives with Thiophenols and Thiols

A tandem thioetherification reaction of 2-(2,2-dibromovinyl)phenol derivatives with thiophenols and thiols has been developed. In the presence of potassium hydroxide, 2-(2,2-dibromovinyl)phenols reacted with thiophenols and thiols to generate 2-arylthiobenzofurans and 2-alkylthiobenzofurans in good yields in N , N -dimethylformamide via a one-pot tandem reaction. This method has several advantages including commercial availability of starting materials, simple operation, and easy purification of products.