Direct Benzothiophene Formation via Oxygen-Triggered Intermolecular Cyclization of Thiophenols and Alkynes Assisted by Manganese/PhCOOH

An intermolecular oxidative cyclization between thiophenols and alkynes for benzothiophene formation has been established. A variety of multifunctional benzothiophenes are synthesized. In addition, we demonstrated that the obtained benzothiophenes can be used for further transformation to give diverse benzothiophene derivatives efficiently and selectively