Disulfide-Catalyzed Visible-Light-Mediated Oxidative Cleavage of C=C Bonds and Evidence of an Olefin-Disulfide Charge-Transfer Complex

A photocatalytic method for the aerobic oxidative cleavage of C=C bonds has been developed. Electron-rich aromatic disulfides were employed as photocatalyst. Upon visible-light irradiation, typical mono- and multi-substituted aromatic olefins could be converted into ketones and aldehydes at ambient temperature. Experimental and computational studies suggest that a disulfide-olefin charge-transfer complex is possibly responsible for the unconventional dissociation of S-S bond under visible light.