Carbonyl-stabilizedsulfoniumylides readily react with elemental sulfur and selenium to afford 1,3-oxathiole and 1,3-oxaselenole derivatives, respectively, in good yields, thus providing a simple method for constructing these ring systems which uses easily accessible compounds as starting materials.
The reaction of elemental selenium with sulfur ylides stabilized by electron-withdrawing substituent(s) affords a facile method for generation of functionalized selenocarbonyl compounds, which can be effectively trapped by Diels-Alder reaction with 1,3-dienes.