Sulfur-Promoted Access to 3-Arylquinoxalin-2-ones by Oxidative Coupling of o-Phenylenediamines with Arylacetates

We disclose the synthesis of 3-arylquinoxalin-2-ones from o-phenylenediamines and readily available arylacetates. The method harnesses the selective oxidative property of elemental sulfur in the presence of amine base catalyst and DMSO. The reactions are operationally simple and tolerate a wide range of functional groups.