Selenoimidoylation of Alcohols with Selenium and Isocyanides and Its Application to the Synthesis of Selenium-Containing Heterocycles

The reaction of alcohols with selenium and isocyanides in the presence of DBU gave oxyimidoylselenoates 6. Trapping of 6 with BuI resulted in high-yield formation of selenocarbonimidates 4. When alk-2-yn-1-ols 9 were allowed to react with selenium and isocyanides under similar conditions, new selenium-containing heterocycles 10, 2-imino-4-alkylidene-1,3-oxaselenolanes, were obtained via cycloaddition of oxyimidoylselenoates 13 generated in situ by intramolecular addition of selenolates to carbon−carbon triple bonds.