S–S Bond Formation: Nanocatalysts in the Oxidative Coupling of Thiols

Abstract

Compounds containing sulfur–sulfur bonds (often called disulfides or more specifically disulfanes) are arguably one of the most valuable functional groups in organic synthetic chemistry. They exist extensively in nature, in which they exhibit important biological activities. Furthermore, a diverse range of natural and synthetic disulfides have been discovered that have many applications as pharmaceutical and agriculture chemicals as well as synthetic intermediates. Since thiols are commercially accessible or easily synthesizable materials and their choice as starting materials is widely reported for the synthesis of organic sulfur compounds, unsurprisingly the oxidative coupling of thiols is the best and simplest route for the preparation of disulfides. In recent times, nanocatalysts have shown excellent catalytic activity and reusability in the oxidation of thiols to disulfides. Herein, we summarize the recently reported breakthroughs in the use of nanocatalysts for the oxidative coupling of thiols to their corresponding disulfides, with the goal of stimulating further progress in this field.