Paired Electrolysis Enabled Ni-Catalyzed Unconventional Cascade Reductive Thiolation Using Sulfinates

J Org Chem. 2021 Nov 5;86(21):15326-15334. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.1c01891. Epub 2021 Oct 11.

Abstract

Herein, we have reported a nickel-catalyzed cascade reductive thiolation of aryl halides with sulfinates driven by paired electrolysis. This protocol uses sulfinates as the sulfur source, and various thioethers could be synthesized under mild conditions. By mechanism exploration, we find that a cascade chemical step is allowed on the electrode interface and could alter the reaction pathway in paired electrolysis, whose findings could help the discovery of novel cascade reactions with unique reactivity.