Selective formation of heteroaryl thioethers via a phosphonium ion coupling reaction

Heteroaryl thioethers, comprised of pyridines and diazines, are an important class of compounds with relevance to medicinal chemistry. Metal-catalyzed cross-couplings and SNAr are traditionally used to form C-S bonds in these systems but are limited by available halogenated precursors. An alternative approach is presented where pyridines and diazines are transformed into heterocyclic phosphonium salts and then C-S bonds are formed by adding thiolate nucleophiles. The process is 4-selective for pyridines, simple to execute and can be used to make derivatives of complex pharmaceuticals.