A facile, practical and eco-friendly protocol for the synthesis of various Z-vinyl thiocyanates under minimal solvent conditions was developed.
By using water as the hydrogen source, an eco-friendly and practical protocol for the synthesis of Z-vinyl thiocyanates through ultrasound-promoted Brønsted acid ionic liquid-catalyzed hydrothiocyanation of activated alkynes under minimal solvent conditions has been developed. This process effectively avoids the use of organic solvents, metal catalysts and harsh reaction conditions. This reaction shows attractive characteristics such as operational simplicity, broad substrate scope with good to excellent yields, ease of scale-up and high energy efficiency and recyclable and reusable catalysts.