A transition-metal-free synthetic method has been developed for the synthesis of unsymmetrical diaryl chalcogenides (S, Se, and Te) from diaryl dichalcogenides and arenes under oxidative conditions by using potassium persulfate at room temperature. Variously substituted arenes such as anisole, thioanisole, diphenyl ether, phenol, naphthol, di- and trimethoxy benzenes, xylene, mesitylene, N,N-dimethylaniline, bromine-substituted arenes, naphthalene, and diaryl dichalcogenides underwent carbon-chalcogen bond-forming reaction to give unsymmetrical diaryl chalcogenides in trifluoroacetic acid. To understand the mechanistic part of the reaction, a detailed in situ characterization of the intermediates has been carried out by (77)Se NMR spectroscopy by using diphenyl diselenide as the substrate. (77)Se NMR study suggests that electrophilic species ArE(+) is generated by the reaction of diaryl dichalcogenide with persulfate in trifluoroacetic acid. The electrophilic attack of arylchalcogenium ion on the arene may be responsible for the formation of the aryl-chalcogen bond.

Synthesis of substituted phenanthridinones and dibenzoazepinones has been realized from 2-halo-benzamides in the presence of potassium tert-butoxide and a catalytic amount of 1,10-phenanthroline or AIBN. This new carbon-carbon bond forming reaction gives direct access to various biaryl lactams containing six- and seven-membered rings chemoselectively. Carbon-carbon coupling seems to proceed by the generation of a radical in the amide ring which leads to C-H arylation of aniline.

An efficient copper-catalyzed method for the synthesis of biologically important ebselen and related analogues containing a Se-N bond has been developed. This is the first report of a catalytic process of selenation and Se-N bond formation reaction. Copper-catalyzed reaction tolerates functional groups such as amides, hydroxyls, ethers, nitro, fluorides, and chlorides. The best results are obtained by using a combination of potassium carbonate as a base, iodo- or bromo-arylamide substrates, selenium powder, and copper iodide catalyst.

The reaction of KSeO(t)Bu with 2-iodo-arylbenzamides gave benzamide ring-substituted, quinine-derived isoselenazolones 1b–1d. The reaction of PhSH with ortho-methyl-substituted isoselenazolone 1b gave selenol 3b, which is oxidized by H2O2 to regenerate 1b. Isoselenazolone 1b shows a high rate (0.33 × 103 μM min(−1)) of oxidation of PhSH with H2O2, which is ∼103-fold more active than ebselen (1a) and ≥30-fold more active than the other isoselenazolones of this study. Compound 1b shows less inhibition of the growth of yeast cells than 1a.

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