Photochemical Metal-free Aerobic Oxidation of Thiols to Disulfides

Thiol oxidation to disulfides is an area of great importance in organic synthesis, both for synthetic and biological purposes. Herein, we report a mild, inexpensive and green photochemical approach for the synthesis of both symmetrical and non-symmetrical disulfides, using metal-free and environmentally friendly conditions. Utilizing phenylglyoxylic acid as the photoinitiator, common household bulbs as the light source and a simple inorganic salt as the additive, a versatile oxidation of thiols leading to products in excellent yields is described.