Work

Electrochemical desulfurative borylation of thiols, disulfides, thioethers and thioacetals

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Low-valent sulfur-containing compounds are abundant among natural and synthetic products but remain underutilized as starting materials in desulfurative transformations. Herein, we present thiols, disulfides, thioethers, and thioacetals as precursors in a direct desulfurative electrochemical process for the formation of alkylboronic esters, including late-stage functionalization of pharmaceutically relevant scaffolds and natural products. The electrochemical protocol is simple, user-friendly and scalable, successfully producing gram quantities of borylated product.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-67363-7

Authors: Julius Kuzmin, Cristiana Margarita, Johannes Winter, Helena Lundberg

Institutions: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sapienza University of Rome

Language: English

Topic: Sulfur-Based Synthesis Techniques

Subfield: Organic Chemistry

Field: Chemistry

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $6,990

Funders: Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, Vetenskapsrådet, Stiftelsen Lars Hiertas Minne, HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council