Primary sulfonamide as a coupling partner: Copper(I)-catalyzed regioselective cross-coupling of 2-nitro benzenesulfonamides with thiol through the cleavage of Ar–SO₂NH₂ bonds

In this article, we have presented a novel and efficient method for the direct synthesis of unsymmetrical sulfides through the copper(I)-catalyzed cross-coupling of 2-nitro benzenesulfonamides with thiols in the presence of catalytic amount of CuI in DMF as solvent at 100 °C. In addition, the products were obtained in high to excellent yields. More importantly, the novel system showed the primary 2-nitro benzenesulfonamides as a new coupling partner and regioselectively promoted C–S bond-forming transformations through the cleavage of Ar–SO₂NH₂ bonds.