Electrochemically mediated three-component synthesis of isothioureas using thiols as sulfur source

The simultaneous binding/dissociation of multiple bonds in a one-pot manner by multicomponent reactions provide an important approach for developing novel and sustainable pathway in the drug discovery process. Herein we develop an electrocatalytic three-component reaction to construct multifunctional and valuable isothiourea compounds, which uses thiols, isocyanides and amines as substrates. Compared with the previous work, the organic electrosynthesis technique can avoid the requirement of heavy metal catalysts and stoichiometric oxidants. In addition, using thiol as a substrate to participate in the three-component reaction broadens the source of sulfur, which can also construct more abundant isothiourea derivatives. As an important synthetic intermediate, isothiourea plays a key role in the fields of agriculture and medicine. We reported an electrocatalytic three-component reaction to construct multifunctional and valuable isothiourea derivatives, which uses thiols, isocyanides and amines as substrates.