title: Synthetic Applications of 3,4-Bis(trimethylsilyl)thiophene: Unsymmetrically 3,4-Disubstituted Thiophenes and 3,4-Didehydrothiophene(,).
abstract: 3,4-Bis(trimethylsilyl)thiophene (1a) was synthesized by three routes: (a) 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition; (b) modification of 3,4-dibromothiophene; and (c) intermolecular thiazole-alkyne Diels-Alder reaction. 3,4-Bis(trimethylsilyl)thiophene (1a) can function as a versatile building block for the construction of unsymmetrically 3,4-disubstituted thiophenes utilizing its stepwise regiospecific mono-ipso-substitution followed by palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. In this manner, thiophenes 15, 16, 17a-j, 19a,b, 20, 22a-c, 23a,b, 24a-d, 25a-c, and 27a-j were prepared. The thiophene-3,4-diyl dimer 28 and thiophene-3,4-diyl tetramer 29 were also realized by palladium-catalyzed self-coupling reaction of organoboroxines. The stannylthiophene 31, formed by conversion of the C-Si bond to a C-Sn bond via boroxine 26c underwent both carbonylative coupling and lithiation followed by quenching with electrophiles to afford unsymmetrically 3,4-disubstituted thiophenes 33 and 36a-c as well. Moreover, 3,4-bis(trimethylsilyl)thiophene (1a) can be used as the starting material for the generation of the highly strained cyclic cumulene 3,4-didehydrothiophene (2), whose existence was substantiated by its trapping reaction with several alkenes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Xin-Shan
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Henry N. C.
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Wong