Taurine isothiocyanate: a versatile intermediate for the preparation of ureas, thioureas, and guanidines. Taurine-derived cyclodextrins

A versatile and expeditious synthesis of taurine-derived thioureas, ureas, and guanidines using taurine isothiocyanate as the key intermediate is reported. Thioureas were obtained by a one-pot two-step procedure starting from taurine by the isothiocyanation reaction with thiophosgene in aqueous THF, followed by coupling with aliphatic and aromatic amines. Desulfurization of thiourea derivatives with yellow mercury(II) oxide gave access to either taurine-containing ureas or guanidines in a one-pot three-step fashion. This methodology was successfully applied to the preparation of a cyclodextrin-derived thiourea and guanidine with a taurine residue in their structures.