Chemistry Letters, Vol.47, No.6, 791-793, 2018
Indium-catalyzed Direct Conversion of Dibenzyl Ethers to Dibenzyl Sulfides Using Elemental Sulfur and a Hydrosilane and Its Application to the Preparation of Benzyl Selenides
Described herein is a catalytic system composed of an indium(III) compound, a hydrosilane and an easily handled form of elemental sulfur (S-8) that effectively and directly catalyzes the sulfidation of dibenzyl ethers to produce dibenzyl sulfides. This system could also be applied to selenium in a straightforward conversion to dibenzyl selenides.