An atom-economic and odorless thia-Michael addition in a deep eutectic solvent

The first 100% atom-efficient and odorless protocol for carbon–sulfur bond formation in a deep eutectic solvent (DES) as both the reaction medium and catalyst is reported. The biodegradable and inexpensive DES provides an efficient and convenient ionic reaction medium for the thia-Michael addition with in situ generation of S-alkylisothiouronium salts in place of thiols without the urea by-product segment. This protocol offers several advantages including short reaction times, high yields, clean reactions, and inexpensive and commercially available starting materials.