A one-pot approach has been developed for the synthesis of α-ketothioamide derivatives from sulfur ylides, nitrosobenzenes, and thioacetic acid. This protocol is carried out under mild reaction conditions in generally moderate to excellent yields without any precious catalysts, affording the derivatives with structural diversity. Additionally, a possible mechanism for this chemical transformation is
Na<sub>2</sub>S-mediated thionation: an efficient access to secondary and tertiary α-ketothioamides via Willgerodt–Kindler reaction of readily available arylglyoxals with amines