Thiocyanation of Allylic Alcohols Promoted by Trifluoroacetic Acid

Abstract A rapid and efficient acid‐promoted strategy to access allylic thiocyanates using allylic alcohols as substrates and easily‐available NH 4 SCN as the thiocyanate source is presented under metal‐ and oxidant‐free conditions. Through screening of various kinds of acids, organic and strong trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was found most effective. Testing of substrates showed that the strategy has remarkable functional group tolerance. A possible mechanism is provided, and the gram‐scale experiment demonstrate that this novel protocol has potential industrial application value.