The ring-opening of a benzothiazole salt serves as a sulfur source for the bifunctional reaction of styrene, enabling the simultaneous formation of new C–S, C–O, and CO bonds following C–S bond cleavage.
A simple and practical method for the synthesis of 2-methylenebenzothiazoles by coupling of benzothiazole salts and 4-hydroxycoumarins under mechanochemical conditions has been developed. Some of the products exhibited strong luminescence and typical AIE properties, indicating their potential as fluorescent materials.