A series of organoselanyl- and organotellanyl-substituted ethyl- and propylamines and their hydrochlorides, as well as 2-(methylsulfanyl)ethylamine have been synthesized. Efficient general synthetic routes have been developed to chalcogen(S, Se, Te)-containing Schiff bases with di- and trimethylene bridges between the nitrogen atom of the imino group and the chalcogen, by condensation of 3-(tert-butyl)- and 3-(1-ethylpropyl)-2-hydoxybenzene-carbaldehydes with the amines. The influence of the organylchalcogenyl-group on some spectral characteristics (¹H, ¹³C, ⁷⁷Se NMR spectroscopy) of both amines and Schiff bases is discussed.

The reaction of 2-(bromomethyl)-1,3-thiaselenole with potassium selenocyanate proceeded via a rearrangement with ring expansion, leading to a six-membered 2,3-dihydro-1,4-thiaselenin-2-yl selenocyanate (kinetic product) which in turn underwent rearrangement with ring contraction to a 1,3-thiaselenol-2-ylmethyl selenocyanate (thermodynamic product). These rearrangements occurred by a nucleophilic attack of the selenocyanate anion at two different carbon atoms of the seleniranium intermediate. The efficient regioselective synthesis of alkyl, allyl, 2-propynyl, benzyl, 4-fluorobenzyl, and 2-pyridinylmethyl 1,3-thiaselenol-2-ylmethyl selenides was developed based on the generation of sodium 1,3-thiaselenol-2-ylmethylselenolate from 1,3-thiaselenol-2-ylmethyl selenocyanate or bis(1,3-thiaselenol-2-ylmethyl) diselenide followed by nucleophilic substitution reactions. Sodium 1,3-thiaselenol-2-ylmethylselenolate underwent nucleophilic addition to alkyl propiolates in a regio- and stereoselective manner affording 1,3-thiaselenol-2-ylmethyl vinyl selenides in high yields predominantly with Z-configuration. Not a single representative of the 1,3-thiaselenol-2-ylmethyl selenide scaffold has been previously described in the literature.