Triarylamine-Catalyzed Sulfonylation System

Metal- and Additive-Free

A catalytic amount of tris(4-methoxyphenyl)amine with thianthrene salts forms an electron donor–acceptor complex that efficiently generates sulfonyl radicals under visible light, circumventing metal-based photocatalysts and additives.

Liangke, Guo · Jiangzhen, An · Haoran, Liu · Bailing, Zhou · Sun, Kai · Zhang, Fuyi · Chen, Xiaolan · Peng, Liu · Qu, Lingbo · Yu, Bing

ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 2025

Advantages

No metal photocatalyst needed

Utilizing catalytic tris(4-methoxyphenyl)amine as the electron donor eliminates precious metal photocatalysts, reducing cost and toxicity.

Additive-free

The reaction system requires no additional additives, simplifying the operation.

Late-stage functionalization

Good functional group tolerance and broad versatility enable late-stage modification of complex bioactive molecules.

Applications

• Late-stage Drug Modification：Introduce sulfonyl groups into advanced drug intermediates without rebuilding the synthetic route.
• Photocatalytic Organic Synthesis：Drive sulfonylation with visible light, avoiding metal photocatalysts.
• Green Chemistry Processes：Avoid metals and additives, reducing hazardous reagents.