Direct Synthesis of 2,2-Diaryl-3-methyl-2,3-dihydrobenzothiazoles from 3-Methyl-2,3-dihydrobenzothiazole-2-thione and Some Mechanistic Aspects

Reactions of 3-methyl-2,3-dihydrobenzothiazole-2-thione (1) and 3-methyl-2-(methylthio)benzothiazoliumiodide with Grignard reagents gave 2,2-disubstituted 3-methyl-2,3-dihydrobenzothiazole (2) as a major product as well as 2,2′-disubstituted 3,3′-dimethyl-2,2′,3,3′-tetrahydrobi(2-benzothiazolyl) (3). Reactions of 1 with organolithiums gave 2 as a major product. The results demonstrate that the formation of 3 is due to the presence of transition metals as an impurity in magnesium.