Sulfonamide Synthesis through Electrochemical Oxidative Coupling of Amines and Thiols

Abstract

Sulfonamides are key motifs in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, spurring the continuous development of novel and efficient synthetic methods to access these functional groups. Herein, we report an environmentally benign electrochemical method which enables the oxidative coupling between thiols and amines, two readily available and inexpensive commodity chemicals. The transformation is completely driven by electricity, does not require any sacrificial reagent or additional catalysts and can be carried out in only 5 min. Hydrogen is formed as a benign byproduct at the counter electrode. Owing to the mild reaction conditions, the reaction displays a broad substrate scope and functional group compatibility.