It is an ambident nucleophile, able to react with various alkyl halides, acetals, aldehydes, unsaturated compounds, aziridines, oxiranes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and acetylated hexoses to form either thiocyanate or isothiocyanate structures.

These substitution reactions involve tetrabutylammonium fluoride used as phase-transfer catalyst and occur under particularly mild conditions.

[8] A one-step method to prepare mercapto-1,2,4-tiazoles is favored on the industrial scale due to its high efficiency (88% yield) and non-constraining conditions: not requiring anhydrous solvent, inert gas temperature, or chromatographic purification.

The method can be summarized as follows: after the equimolar mixture of benzohydrazide and TMSNCS reflux in the presence of EtOH for 5 hours, NaOH is added to the reaction mixture and the solution is refluxed for 4 h. Acetic acid is then used to cool and neutralize, ultimately yielding the pure white solid 3-phenyl-5-mercapto-4H-1,2,4-triazole at 88% yield.

[9] The 2-amino-1,3,4-oxadiazoles resulting from this reaction are: 2-Amino-5-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole, 2-Amino-5-(p-methylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole, 2-Amino-5-(p-chlorophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole, 2-Amino-5-(p-methoxyphenyl)- 1,3,4-oxadiazole, 2-Amino-5-(p-nitrophenyl) -1,3,4-oxadiazole, 2-Amino-5-(o-methylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole, 2-Amino-5-(o-chlorophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole, ect.