Electrochemical synthesis of antioxidant trideuteromethylthiolated enaminones through three-component cascade reactions.

An NH4I-mediated electrochemical three-component cascade reaction has been established for the preparation of trideuteromethylthiolated enaminones from primary amines, acetylacetone, and CD3SSO3Na. This simple protocol is readily applicable to gram-scale synthesis and late-stage modification of bioactive molecules. Preliminary biological screening of the prepared trideuteromethylthiolated enaminones identified compound 4l is capable of protecting cells from oxidative damage by initiating the activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.