2-Chloro-1-methylpyridinium iodide, an efficient reagent for the conversion of alcohols into alkyl thiocyanates both under solvent and solvent-free conditions

A new application of the Mukaiyama reagent for the simple phosphine-free conversion of alcohols into the corresponding alkyl thiocyanates is described. This transformation can be achieved either in acetonitrile or under solvent-free conditions and the products obtained in good to excellent yields. The solvent-free procedure described here is the first report on the solvent-free thiocyanation of alcohols.