Photooxidation of Thioethers to Sulfoxides and the Self-Initiating Mechanism Evidenced by DFT Calculations
A catalyst-free photoaerobic protocol has been developed for the highly selective oxidation of thioethers in the presence of acetic acid. Based on DFT calculations, the thioether-O<sub>2</sub> complex is identified as the photosensitizer to trigger the radical cascade. This protocol enables the green synthesis of alkyl-aryl, diaryl, and dialkyl sulfoxides, including pharmaceutical molecules.
Authors
- Lifang Tian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8747-7669)
- Hao Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4411-0933)
- Shilin Chen
- Zixuan Hu
- Qifu Deng
- Yufeng Li
- Chao Feng
- Tingting Zhu
- Zhangyi Wang
Institutions
- Nanjing Tech University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Journal of Organic Chemistry
- Published
- 2026-02-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.5c02776
- Primary Topic
- Sulfur-Based Synthesis Techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00