Electrophilic organic selenium reagents—protonated seleninic acids as precursors for unsymmetrical aromatic selenides

Arylselenylations of methylbenzenes, methoxybenzenes and thiophene were smoothly achieved with selenenium ions generated by comproportionation of 1:1 mixtures of p-toluenesulfonic acid salts of seleninic acids and the corresponding diselenides. A series of p-toluenesulfonic salts of seleninic acids were prepared by hydrogen peroxide oxidation of the corresponding diselenides in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic acid. Novel 2-(organylseleno)thiophenes were obtained by heating the protonated seleninic acids with a 50-fold excess of thiophene in glacial acetic acid.