2-Lithiothiazole can be obtained by direct lithiation of thiazole or, more conveniently, by exchange with 2-bromothiazole using n-BuLi: J. Org. Chem., 53, 1748 (1988). It behaves as a valuable formyl anion equivalent, and as such has been applied, mainly by Dondoni’s group, in the syntheses of a variety of products; see, e.g.: Tetrahedron Lett., 34, 7319, 7323, 7327 (1993). See also 2-(Trimethyl-silyl)-thiazole. Reaction of 2-lithiothiazole with nitrones gives ɑ-aminoaldehydes: Tetrahedron Lett., 33, 4221 (1992); stereocontrolled addition to C-galacto-pyranosylnitrone has been used in syntheses of destomic acid, a component of the antibiotics destomycin and hygromycin, and of lincosamine, the sugar component of the anticancer antibiotic lincomycin: Synlett, 78 (1993).
