A general and versatile method that extends the synthetic utility of the Michael reaction is described for the preparation of substituted propionic acids of the type 11. The addition of 2- mercaptothiophene to commercially available acrylic acids I, instead of the commonly employed esters, provides a facile and high-yielding synthesis of 11. In turn, these compounds are useful intermediates for the construction of the heteroaryl thieno [2, 3-b]-