Ts₂O Promoted Deoxygenative C–H Dithiocarbonation of Quinoline N-Oxides with Potassium O-Alkyl Xanthates

A simple, efficient, and practical method for the synthesis of S-quinolyl xanthates was developed via Ts2O-promoted deoxygenative C–H dithiocarbonation of quinoline N-oxides with various potassium O-alkyl xanthates. The reaction performed well under transition-metal-free, base-free, and room-temperature conditions with wide substrate tolerance. Employing potassium O-tert-butyl xanthate (tBuOCS2K) as a nucleophile, some valuable quinoline-2-thiones were unexpectedly obtained in a one-pot reaction without any additional base.