Electrochemical oxidative cross coupling of NH-sulfoximines with disulfides

Abstract

An electrochemical thioetherification of NH-sulfoximines with disulfides is reported. The use of electrochemistry to promote these oxidative coupling reactions not only obviates the requirement for external oxidants, bases, and metal catalysts but also ensures high environmental friendliness and selectivity to afford N-sulfenyl-sulfoximines. Good functional group tolerance, and readily available substrates offer this strategy incomparable advantages in preparing a variety of valuable N-sulfenyl-sulfoximines. Meanwhile, this reaction features simple operation, mild reaction conditions, and convenience of amplification, and has great potential in the subsequent modifications of pharmaceutical N-(2-thiophenyl)benzamide derivatives. Furthermore, the cytotoxic effects of the expected products toward different tumor cells were investigated in vitro and compared with 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu), the most widely used chemotherapeutic drug against malignant tumors.