Selective reductive cleavage of 2-(phenylthio)pyrimidines for efficient synthesis of 2-(H)pyrimidines.

• Synthesis of 2-(H)pyrimidines. • Novel selective reduction of 2-(phenylthio)pyrimidines. • High functionalization. • Wide substrate scope. A reaction method is described for selective reductive cleavage of 2-(phenylthio)pyrimidines using Pd(OAc) 2 and Et 3 SiH to produce 2-(H)pyrimidines. The reaction proceeds efficiently with a wide range of 2-(phenylthio)pyrimidines. Considering the ready availability of 2-(arylthio)pyrimidines derived from oxidative C S cross coupling of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-1 H -2-thiones (DHPMs), this method unambiguously provides a shortcut to the preparation of 2-(H)pyrimidines with unprecedented diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]