Diisopropylamine as a single catalyst in the synthesis of aryl disulfides

Abstract

AbstractThe search for less time-consuming and inexpensive methods for the synthesis of disulfides continues to be a hot subject of research. Herein, we report that diisopropylamine (iPr2NH) can act as a very effective catalyst for this process. The oxidative coupling of aryl thiols was carried out in the presence of catalytic amount ofiPr2NH in air (room temperature) in acetonitrile, without metal catalyst, additives, or external activators. This procedure opens a low-cost, green, and industrially applicable synthetic pathway to obtain aryl disulfides.