The Different, but Interesting Behaviors of Benzyl Systems in the Willgerodt-Kindler Reaction under Solvent-Free Conditions

On the benzyl system, bearing various functional groups, have been carried out the Willgerodt-Kindler reaction to obtain thiobenzmorpholide ( 1 ). The reactions, under solvent-free conditions, were performed in both classical (reflux, room temperature) and nonclassical (microwave) conditions to attempt our elucidation of the reactions pathways. Unlike benzylamine and benzyl mercaptan, benzyl halides give poor result due to the type of amine. The experimental results suggest that the proposed reaction pathway involves the oxidation coupling of benzylic substrates, followed by a thiolation step and an attack of the amine on the thiolated product to give ( 1 ).