Mild Hydrosulfenylation of Olefins under Neutral Conditions Using a Defined NHC-Ligated Iron-Sulfur Catalyst

A defined NHC-Fe-S complex proved to be an efficient catalyst for the selective hydrosulfenylation of alpha/beta-unsaturated ketones or vinylnitriles. A wide range of different aliphatic thiols were transferred in this atom-economic reaction into the corresponding thioethers. Mild reaction conditions, equimolar amounts of substrates, low catalyst loadings, and mild reaction conditions are characteristic for this transformation.