A facile [4+1] type synthetic route to thiophenes from dienol silyl ethers and elemental sulfur

A facile method for the synthesis of thiophene derivatives via the reaction of readily accessible dienol silyl ethers with elemental sulfur is described. Dienol silyl ethers and elemental sulfur, when heated at 180 °C in the presence of MS4A, provided 3-siloxythiophene derivatives in yields up to 98%. In this reaction, thiophene derivatives might be formed through 1,2-dithiines and eight-membered cyclic tetrasulfides.