Ir-Catalyzed Intramolecular Cyclization of 2-Alkynyl Diaryl Sulfides for the Selective Synthesis of Sulfur-Containing Polycyclic Compounds

We describe an Ir-catalyzed intramolecular reaction of 2-alkynyl diaryl sulfides, which gives 9-arylidene-9H-thioxanthene derivatives via 6-exo-dig cyclization. When 2-alkynylphenyl naphthyl sulfides are used, divergent synthesis of triaryl-fused thiepines and diaryl-substituted benzothiophenes can be achieved by simply choosing the reaction temperature. (Figure presented.).