Electrocatalytic Vicinal Difunctionalization of Alkenes: Synchronous Construction of C–S and C–O Bonds

Sulfur-containing molecules are important in medicinal and biological chemistry, making their synthesis a central focus in organic chemistry. However, traditional methods often suffer from poor stability of sulfur bonds and a limited scope of oxygen nucleophiles. To address these challenges, we report a green, electrocatalytic strategy that employs nBu4NBr to generate bromine radicals in situ for the difunctionalization of alkenes. We achieved the first example of the selective, simultaneous construction of vicinal C–S and C–O bonds using diaryl disulfides and diverse oxygen nucleophiles. The reaction exhibits high atom economy, furnishing 53 products with yields up to 98%. This transition-metal-free and oxidant-free system proceeds under mild conditions with excellent functional-group tolerance and a broad substrate scope. Scale-up synthesis and control experiments demonstrate its practicality and reliability, highlighting its potential utility in complex molecule synthesis.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
The Journal of Organic Chemistry
Published
2026-05-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.6c00565
Primary Topic
Radical Photochemical Reactions
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Electrocatalytic Vicinal Difunctionalization of Alkenes: Synchronous Construction of C–S and C–O Bonds

Keyume Ablajan, Changjin Chen, Kaiming Wang
The Journal of Organic Chemistry
Radical Photochemical Reactions
article

Electrocatalytic Vicinal Difunctionalization of Alkenes: Synchronous Construction of C–S and C–O Bonds

Keyume Ablajan, Changjin Chen, Kaiming Wang
article en

Abstract

Sulfur-containing molecules are important in medicinal and biological chemistry, making their synthesis a central focus in organic chemistry. However, traditional methods often suffer from poor stability of sulfur bonds and a limited scope of oxygen nucleophiles. To address these challenges, we report a green, electrocatalytic strategy that employs nBu4NBr to generate bromine radicals in situ for the difunctionalization of alkenes. We achieved the first example of the selective, simultaneous construction of vicinal C–S and C–O bonds using diaryl disulfides and diverse oxygen nucleophiles. The reaction exhibits high atom economy, furnishing 53 products with yields up to 98%. This transition-metal-free and oxidant-free system proceeds under mild conditions with excellent functional-group tolerance and a broad substrate scope. Scale-up synthesis and control experiments demonstrate its practicality and reliability, highlighting its potential utility in complex molecule synthesis.

The Journal of Organic Chemistry
Xinjiang University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Radical Photochemical Reactions
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.