Photocatalytic Disulfide Synthesis Using Trityl Sulfides

We report a photocatalytic disulfide synthesis employing trityl sulfide as the starting material. Trityl sulfide can be readily obtained from dimethoxytrityl thiol-a low-odor crystalline solid that is easy to handle-via alkyl halides or mesyl-protected alcohols. The method is broadly applicable to the synthesis of structurally diverse disulfide compounds. Notably, the reaction proceeds efficiently even under degassed conditions and constitutes a relatively underexplored transformation in which the trityl cation actively participates in the oxidation cycle of the photocatalyst.