Facile synthesis of 3-aryl/alkylamino 5-aryl/alkyl 1,2,4-oxadiazoles from acylthiourea

Facile and selective synthesis of 3-aryl/alkylamino 5-aryl/alkyl 1,2,4-oxadiazoles starting from N-acylthioureas has been demonstrated. The regio-selectivity is achieved by simply selecting an appropriate base used for the generation of hydroxyl amine from the corresponding hydrochloride salt. This method also avoids the use of toxic cyanogen bromide. The structure of the synthesized oxadiazoles has been resolved by tandem mass spectral studies.