Copper-Mediated C–H Activation/C–S Cross-Coupling of Heterocycles with Thiols

We report the synthesis of a series of aryl- or alkyl-substituted 2-mercaptobenzothiazoles by direct thiolation of benzothiazoles with aryl or alkyl thiols via copper-mediated aerobic C–H bond activation in the presence of stoichiometric CuI, 2,2′-bipyridine and Na₂CO₃. We also show that the approach can be extended to thiazole, benzimidazole, and indole substrates. In addition, we present detailed mechanistic investigations on the Cu­(I)-mediated direct thiolation reactions. Both computational studies and experimental results reveal that the copper–thiolate complex [(L)­Cu­(SR)] (L: nitrogen-based bidentate ligand such as 2,2′-bipyridine; R: aryl or alkyl group) is the first reactive intermediate responsible for the observed organic transformation. Furthermore, our computational studies suggest a stepwise reaction mechanism based on a hydrogen atom abstraction pathway, which is more energetically feasible than many other possible pathways including β-hydride elimination, single electron transfer, hydrogen atom transfer, oxidative addition/reductive elimination, and σ-bond metathesis.