A mild and efficient method for the protection of carbonyl compounds as dithioacetals, dithiolanes and dithianes catalysed by iodine supported on natural phosphate

Carbonyl compounds have been successfully converted into their corresponding dithioacetals, dithiolanes and dithianes derivatives in excellent yields with thiol (ethanethiol and thiophenol), 1,2-ethanedithiol and 1,3-propanedithiol using a catalytic amount of iodine supported on natural phosphate. In addition, by employing this catalyst, high chemoselective thioacetalization of carbonyl compounds have been achieved.