Palladium-Catalyzed Regiodivergent Decarboxylative Hydrothiocarbonylation of Vinylarenes Using Oxalic Acid Monothioesters

Abstract Oxalic acid monothioester (OAM), an easily accessible and bench-stable reagent, is reported herein as a synthetic equivalent of thioester for palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative hydrothiocarbonylation of vinylarenes to achieve both branched and linear regioselectivity. The reactions provided user-friendly synthetic methods for preparation of α- or β-arylated propionic acid thioesters from vinylarenes without directly handling toxic carbon monoxide and odorous thiols.