Reductive Alkylation of Arenes by a Thiol-Based Multicomponent Reaction

A simple and highly chemo- and regioselective method for introducing primary alkyl substituents into aromatic compounds was developed. The method is based on an electrophilic aromatic substitution of an aldehyde, promoted by a thiol, to afford 1-(alkylthio)alkylarenes, which can either be reduced in situ with triethylsilane or reacted further. This multicomponent reaction enables the direct introduction of both aromatic and linear and branched aliphatic alkyl groups into arenes. The above one-pot protocol may be performed in air and in the presence of water and is compatible with various functional groups.