Visible-light mediated allylation of thiols with allylic alcohols

Abstract

Herein, we report a mild metal-free visible-light-mediated allylation of thiols using an inexpensive photocatalyst (eosin Y). Photocatalytically generated sulfenyl radicals were coupled with allylic alcohols to obtain allylic sulfides in good to excellent yields. The reaction was found to be scalable and the products could be further functionalized. Furthermore, preliminary studies were carried out to gain insights into the reaction mechanism.