Metal-Free Synthesis of Aryl Selenocyanates and Selenaheterocycles with Elemental Selenium

This work reports a green method for the synthesis of aryl selenocyanates via a three-component reaction of arylboronic acids, Se powder, and trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) under metal-free and additive-free conditions. Remarkably, TMSCN acts as not only the substrate, but also the catalyst. Various selenaheterocycles can be also accessed with a catalytic amount of TMSCN.

Automated summary

This study presents a green method for synthesizing aryl selenocyanates under metal-free and additive-free conditions using arylboronic acids, Se powder, and trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) in a three-component reaction. Remarkably, TMSCN not only serves as a substrate but also as a catalyst, allowing access to various selenaheterocycles with a catalytic amount of TMSCN.