Cross-coupling of 1,4-diiodobuta-1,3-dienes with thiols in the presence of Pd, Ni, and Cu complexes gives 1,4-bis[aryl(alkyl)sulfanyl]buta-1,3-dienes in high yields.α,ω-Bis(R-sulfanyl)alkadienes are poorly explored and difficultly accessible compounds. On the other hand, their use in the synthesis of functionally substituted carbo-[1, 2] and heterocyclic derivatives [3-5] has been reported. Buta-1,3-diene-1,4-dithiols are precursors of important analogs of naturally occurring compounds such as thiarubrines (1,2-dithiine derivatives) [6-8] that exhibit a broad spectrum of biological activity, including antiviral [9], antibacterial [10,11], and antitumor action [12]; they also showed a considerable anti-HIV-1 effect [13].