Copper‐catalyzed aerobic coupling of thiols and alcohols affords sulfinates and thiosulfonates. These products are assumed to form via sulfinyl radicals which are not commonly found in oxidative coupling reactions of thiols. A reaction mechanism involving sulfinyl radicals is proposed, and mass and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experimental results are provided.magnified image
Simple and high-yielding strategies for the production of a variety of sulfones and sulfonamides, using thiosulfonates synthesized by copper-catalyzed aerobic dimerization, are reported. Although thiosulfonates are an old class of compound, practical methods for their synthesis and utilization have not been rigorously developed. In this study, we revisit the reactions of easily accessible thiosulfonates to form sulfinate anions. Because of the similar reactivity of thiosulfonates and metal sulfinates derived from toxic SO, thiosulfinates are proposed to be stable, nontoxic alternatives to metal sulfinate salts.
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