One-pot oxidation and bromination of 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dihydrothiophenes using Br2: synthesis and application of 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dibromothiophenes.

A class of 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dibromothiophenes (1b-5b) was synthesized by a one-pot reaction of 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dihydrothiophenes with Br2 reagent in excellent yield (83-92%). It was found that Br2 performed a double function (oxidation and bromination) during the conversion of 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dihydrothiophenes to 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dibromothiophenes. The application of 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dibromothiophenes used as building blocks was also investigated. Employing 3,4-diphenyl-2,5-dibromothiophene (1b) as a template, a class of 2,3,4,5-tetraarylthiophenes was prepared by the Suzuki coupling reaction. This provided a new and simple approach to the preparation of 2,3,4,5-tetraarylthiophenes.