Electrophilic Selenocyanogen Cyclization of Alkynes; Synthesis of Benzofurylselenocyanates, Benzothienylselenocyanates and Indolylselenocyanates

Abstract A method to synthesize benzofurylselenocyanates, benzothienylselenocyanates and indolylselenocyanates via electrophilic selenocyanogen cyclization was established. This sequential process was conducted under mild conditions in a short time. This protocol was successfully applied to late‐stage functionalization of bioactive molecules. Notablely, the selenocyanate can be converted into other valuable Se‐containing compounds and showed antitumor activity to human hepatoma cells HepG2. magnified image