# Lipase-Catalyzed Cyclization of β-Ketothioamides with β-Nitrostyrene for the Synthesis of Tetrasubstituted Dihydrothiophenes

**Authors:** Yihang Dai, Yuming Piao, Wenbo Kan, Lei Wang, Yazhuo Li

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/molecules30153202 · 2025-07-30

## TL;DR

This paper presents a new eco-friendly method using lipase to efficiently create tetrasubstituted dihydrothiophenes, which are important in medicine and materials science.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel lipase-catalyzed synthesis method for tetrasubstituted dihydrothiophenes with high yields.

## Key findings

- Sixteen tetrasubstituted dihydrothiophenes were synthesized with yields between 80% and 96%.
- Porcine pancreatic lipase was shown to be effective beyond traditional hydrolytic reactions in organic synthesis.
- The method provides an environmentally friendly alternative for producing these heterocyclic compounds.

## Abstract

Tetrasubstituted dihydrothiophenes represent a class of heterocyclic compounds with significant potential in various fields, particularly in medicinal chemistry and materials science. In this work, we have developed an eco-friendly and efficient method for synthesizing such compounds, using porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) as a biocatalyst to promote the cyclization reaction between β-ketothioamides and β-nitrostyrenes. Through this approach, sixteen tetrasubstituted dihydrothiophenes were successfully synthesized, and all of them achieved high yields, ranging from 80% to 96%. This research not only expands the application scope of lipase in organic synthesis, demonstrating its versatility beyond traditional hydrolytic reactions, but also provides a new environmentally friendly pathway for the production of tetrasubstituted dihydrothiophenes, which is of great significance for advancing related fields of chemical synthesis.

## Linked entities

- **Proteins:** PPL (periplakin)

## Full-text entities

- **Chemicals:** Tetrasubstituted Dihydrothiophenes (-), beta-Nitrostyrene (MESH:C011955)

## Figures

6 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12348498/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12348498