Thiophene is a five-membered heterocyclic compound containing a sulfur heteroatom with the molecular formula C4H4S. Thiophene is aromatic and is very similar to benzene; electrophilic substitution reaction is easier than benzene, and it is mainly substituted at the 2-position. Thiophene ring system has certain stability to oxidant.
Dioxolane is a heterocyclic acetal with the formula (CH2)2O2CH2. It is related to tetrahydrofuran by exchanging an oxygen for the CH2 group. The isomer 1,2-dioxolane (in which the two oxygen centers are adjacent) is a peroxide. 1,3-Dioxolane is used as solvent and comonomer in polyacetal. The dioxolane-type and their hydrogenolysis can provide very valuable partially protected building blocks either for oligosaccharide syntheses or sugar transformations.