Visible-Light-Induced Oxidant-Free Thiol–Disulfide Transformation

Abstract

Disulfides are of great value in various fields, including natural products, proteins, pharmaceutical molecules, and materials science. However, conventional synthesis methods typically rely on transition metal catalysts and require the addition of external oxidants, often leading to issues such as over-oxidation, low atom economy, difficulty in separation and purification, and poor suitability for the modification of complex molecules such as peptides. This study proposes a mild synthetic strategy under visible-light irradiation, employing cerium salts as catalysts to achieve dehydrogenative coupling without the need for additional oxidants. The method demonstrates good compatibility with various substrates, including thiophenols, thiols, and peptides. Furthermore, the reaction can be scaled up using a microchannel continuous-flow process, highlighting its strong potential for industrial applications.